


Ice Curse

by fieryhotaru



Series: Ice Curse [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Violence, Oral Sex, Other, Romance, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2014-06-19
Packaged: 2018-02-05 06:53:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 36,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1809325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryhotaru/pseuds/fieryhotaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Medieval-esque AU. Bunnymund is a wandering Pookan warrior who becomes a bodyguard for the prince of the kingdom, Jackson Overland. The kingdom used to be happy until the prince was cursed. Has nothing to do with Frozen. I started writing this way before the movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

E. Aster Bunnymund walked through the streets of the kingdom known as Santoff Claussen, snorting at people who stared at him. It was odd for a Pooka to be seen without his tribe outside the Warren, let alone in the big city. They were endangered after all; one would think they would all try to stay together. However, it had been years since Bunnymund left his tribe. Being on his own wasn’t such a big deal to him.

He noticed that the streets seemed quite desolate of people; only a few women and children were around and hardly any men. It couldn’t have been because they knew he was coming and they were afraid of him. No man was afraid of a Pooka; he knew that for sure, even though they very well should be. “Hey, you’re one of them Pookas, ain’tcha?” An old merchant said as Bunnymund passed him.

“That I am, mate.” He answered in his strange accent.

“Ain’t seen one of yous for a long time. You here for the fight, er somethin’?”

“Fight? What fight?” The Pooka asked. “Is that why there’s no one around?”

“Damn right.” The merchant man said. “Every strong man and soldier from around the city’s fightin’ at the arena today.”

“What for?”

“To be the Crown Prince’s bodyguard!” The man saw the funny look on the rabbit’s face. “It’s a high-paying job, Pooka.”

“I don’t care too much for money, stranger, or brats for that matter.” Bunnymund shook his head and started walking again.

“It also proves that you’re the strongest warrior in the land.” The merchant got Bunnymund to stop. “I know that you Pookas like fightin’.”

“That is where you’re wrong, geezer.” The rabbit turned to him. “We don’t like to fight… we _need_ to fight.”

“Whatever you say.” The old man put his arms up in defense. “Just tryin’ to help you out. You looked lost over there.”

“Lost, huh?” Bunnymund snickered under his breath. “Actually, I am lost. Which way to the arena?”

:::

Bunnymund let his pride get in the way again. He didn’t really want the job, but when it comes to proving himself as a warrior, he needed to do it. Also, he wanted to talk to the king about a few things.

He was the last to sign up for the matches. He sat in the dugout, sharpening his boomerangs while he watched others sharpen knives and swords. This was going to take a while; there were so many men and creatures here to win the job. Most of them were already soldiers to the king. He supposed they wanted the extra cash, or the praise, or maybe to get near the crown prince.

He’d heard many rumors over the years about this distraught kingdom and its rulers. He heard the king was a jolly man who loved bringing happiness and wonder to his people and their children by way of giving them toys on one special day of the year. The queen was said to be a beautiful and bubbly fairy who was interested in keeping her people healthy, especially their teeth. They had a son, who was rumored to be the most beautiful and pure-hearted boy in the land, and was born with the gift to bring snow and ice during the winter, definitely making the kids happy. But something changed in the royal family a few years ago. The toys stopped being made, the health became plagued and the weather was cold all year round. They say a curse was put upon them by an evil wizard and they’ve never been the same.

But those were just rumors, and he knew that rumors shouldn’t be trusted. The weather was definitely colder and the people didn’t seem as happy as they could be, but a curse by a wizard? What a crock of shit. They probably just got sick of being nice. Humans change their minds like they change undergarments. He knew.

His long ears pulled back as he heard trumpets, and looked up in the special box at the top of the arena, seeing the royal family and their court enter from behind the curtain. They politely waved and sat down while the king addressed the people.

“Fair citizens of Santoff Claussen,” The king began, speaking with a thick accent of his own. “Today is not a war or a battle, it is merely competition. A competition to acquire the most important position in my army; to be the protector of my dear son, the prince!” The people applauded for the boy, who stood and waved back. It was hard for Bunnymund to tell from where he was, but the kid didn’t look like he wanted to be there. “Let the tournament begin!”

:::

Bunnymund was breezing through the competition. His opponents, whether they be soldiers or not, were jokes to him. He was the fastest, the strongest, and the smartest warrior in the arena, and he didn’t break a sweat. The people in the stands whispered to each other, asking where that Pooka came from and how he’s so strong. The whispers also reached the royal box, the young prince now becoming interested in what was happening. He smiled to himself, enjoying his victories so far. But now it was time for the final match.

His final opponent was none other than the general of the king’s army. Predictable; he should be the strongest man in the kingdom to lead the forces. “How could an overgrown rabbit defeat all my men?” He said in a slimy voice.

“You’re about to find out for yourself, mate.” Bunnymund flipped his boomerangs in his hands.

“Ooo, and a talking rabbit at that! This should be interesting!” The general laughed at Bunnymund, which gave his cronies permission to laugh as well. The Pooka growled at them.

“General Eustace versus E. Aster Bunnymund. Begin!” The general was the first to attack. The rabbit dodged as he watched how the man moved, studying carefully. When he thought he got it, he did a few back flips to get a good distance away from him.

“Aw, running away like a rabbit does.” General Eustace taunted.

“I won’t run anymore, mate. Let’s go.” Bunnymund threw a boomerang in the man’s direction to start the clash. They were pretty evenly matched, he had to admit. The human was a lot faster than he looked, especially in that armor. However, his attacks were slower than they could be as he used two hands with his sword. Bunnymund found an opening and whacked Eustace in the gut, thinking he had him until he felt the heavy blade graze his side. He groaned in pain and hopped out of the way before he was sliced further.

“Still willing, eh?” The general said, slightly out of breath. Bunnymund felt blood trickle down his side.

“You just made me mad now, ya drongo.” He replied, getting his rangs ready again. He ran to the general, speeding up his attacks before he lost too much blood. Attack, dodge, attack, and dodge… finally another opening. The rabbit beat the man down, hitting in all the soft spots around the armor. He flipped back and threw the rangs, one to the hands that held the sword and one to the head, the two hitting dead-on. General Eustace dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. The Pooka grabbed his boomerangs and stood on top of the general, notifying his victory.

“E. Aster Bunnymund is the champion!” Everyone looked at each other, shocked that their heroic general was beaten by a giant rabbit. They applauded, but only to be polite. The general scowled at Bunnymund while he gave a sly smirk. He just proved to the kingdom that Pookas were stronger than humans. “The king will have an audience with you now.” Servants came up to him and escorted him to the palace.

“Right, almost forgot about the brat.” He whispered to himself. He looked up at the royal box, seeing the family getting up to return to the palace as well. The boy made eye contact with his new bodyguard before going back inside.


	2. 2

Bunnymund’s wounds were cleaned and bandaged by the servants. They made him take off his bandolier and put on a silly green cape while he listened to a servant babbling about how to address the royal family upon meeting them. Once he assured that he understood, he was ready to see the king, queen and prince.

They had to traverse many hallways before finally coming to the throne room’s entrance. Soldiers opened the doors to reveal another long hall that led up to the thrones at the end of the room. The king and queen sat properly in their seats, but the prince was slouching and fidgeting. “The victor, E. Aster Bunnymund, your highnesses.” Announced the servant as he shoved the rabbit forward. He took the long walk until he stood in front of the royals.

“Uh… your highnesses.” He bowed politely.

“Welcome to my home, Pooka.” The king said. “I am King Nicholas St. North.” Bunnymund looked up to observe the king. He was a heavyset but probably very tall man with a white beard and dressed in red robes. “This is my queen, Toothiana.” He gestured to his left. She was beautiful as the rumors said. She was covered in colorful feathers and her dainty wings fanned out behind her. She smiled and nodded to the Pooka. “And this is my dear son, Jackson Overland.” He nodded to his right. Bunnymund was indeed amazed by how gorgeous the teenager was, even for a human. He had wild white hair and eyes a shade of blue he had never seen before. His face was pale, symmetrical and flawless, but he’d be much cuter if he was smiling. He sat there unimpressed, apparently uncomfortable in all the clothes he was wearing. He even had gauntlets and boots on like he was going into war or something.

“Nice to meet all of ya.” Bunnymund nodded.

“I’m curious as to why a Pooka would enter the tournament, let alone come to my city.” King North queried. “And also how you beat my general in combat.”

“Truthfully, your highness, I entered the tourney to show how formidable a Pooka can be.” Bunnymund said strongly. “My tribe hasn’t given up yet.”

“I… see.” The king was quite surprised, while his son became interested, leaning forward in his throne. “Well, you certainly showed that you are worthy to protect…”

“Sorry, but I didn’t win to babysit your son.”

“How dare you speak of my son that way?” King North stood from his chair. “Do you even know what…?”

“Wait, Father.” The prince carefully placed a gloved hand on his father’s arm. “He obviously doesn’t know.” He smirked at the rabbit, finally showing some character. “Also, he’s obviously not fit for the job.”

“Beg pardon?” Bunnymund’s brow furrowed.

“Look at him. He’s nothing but a giant… um… kangaroo? Is that it?” Prince Jackson scoffed. The _rabbit_ was not amused. “Whatever, he’s an animal, so he couldn’t be smart enough to handle me. I’d be lunch meat for the wolves in an instant.”

“Now you see here, _your highness,”_ Bunnymund took a bold step forward. “No one, not even royalty, calls me an idiot, and _especially_ not a kangaroo. The dingoes aren’t what you should be worried about.”

“Oh, did you just threaten me?” The prince stood up, walking to the Pooka so they were face to face. Bunnymund thought he heard the queen gasp. “Do you realize how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself into just now?”

“The only one who is in trouble right now is…”

“Please stop now.” The two bickering males felt dainty hands on their shoulders as the fairy queen came between them, smiling uncomfortably. “Sweetheart, remember to be careful around others.” She reminded her son. “Mr. Bunnymund was it?” She turned to him. “I’m afraid I must ask you to wait in the hall as we discuss your, um… future with us.” He looked over at the king, who looked like an angry volcano ready to burst. The prince snickered lightly, seeming to find this situation enjoyable. “Guards, please keep a close eye on Mr. Bunnymund.” The guards pointed their swords at the Pooka, guiding him out of the room threateningly. He wasn’t even thinking about that, he was just confused as to what the hell happened just now.

:::

Bunnymund was getting a little nervous. It had been awhile since he spoke to the royal family, and these guards were still pointing their swords at him. What could they possibly be talking about? A way to execute him for speaking out of turn?

It all happened so fast. First he tells the king no, then the king gets mad, then his crazy brat pushes his buttons, and finally, the queen breaks them up! Why was the king so sensitive about his son? Why did the queen tell the boy to ‘be careful’? What did she mean by that? And why in the name of the Moon was that annoying kid making him angry on purpose? Was he trying to get him killed? He is more of a pain than Bunnymund ever thought!

Still, he didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand. That little… he was just so… of course if it was any other kid, he’d just get a slap on the wrist, but now…

Before he could think of being boiled in hot water, he heard a tinkling sound come down the hall. He turned his head, but didn’t see anything. He heard it again and looked down this time, surprised to see a little man made of gold by the door to the throne room. No, not gold… sand. A man made of sand. Could his day get any more interesting? The sandman yawned before looking up at the others. “Good day, Sir Sanderson, sir!” The guards said. Sanderson ignored the guards and stared at the Pooka, observing him from head to toe. Satisfied, he smiled and waved silently.

“Uh… g’day.” Bunnymund cracked a smile himself. The sandman entered the throne room and shut the door quietly. “Who is that?”

“Quiet, Pooka!” The guard yelled at him. Actually, that sounded like a good idea. He should be listening to what the royal family was talking about.

“Ah, Sandy! Thank goodness!” He heard the king say. “What should we do?” Bunnymund tried listening for what the sandman would say, but he heard nothing, just a few more tinkles.

“See? I told you!” The prince reacted to whatever Sanderson did.

“Sandy, are you sure?” The queen asked. More tinkling. Then King North cursed in a foreign language.

“Very well.” He gave in.

“And please, Father, let me talk to him. Alone.”

“But…”

“What’s he gonna do? You know he can’t hurt me.” More cursing in another language.

“Guards, bring the Pooka to the observatory where he will meet with my son!” The king hollered so the soldiers could hear. They obeyed, prodding Bunnymund in the direction of the observatory.

“What the hell is going on here?” The Pooka mumbled.

:::

“Leave us.” Prince Jackson ordered the guards. They backed out of the room to leave. “And no waiting behind the door, either.” He added. They shut the door and left the area completely. Bunnymund was fascinated by the observatory. It was completely made of glass: the circular walls and rounded roof were all transparent so he could see the beautiful night sky. Telescopes were scattered about the room, and a mystical globe turned in the center that sparkled with lights. The crown prince stood at its base, his body covered by the royal blue cape he was wearing. “You got balls, you know, threatening me like that.”

“Your highness…”

“Call me Jack.” The prince interrupted. “And don’t apologize, because you got the job anyway! Congrats.”

“Wh-What?!” Bunnymund was starting to believe he was in a house for crazies. “I already told you…”

“You’re not interested, I know. But too bad, cuz you’re staying.” Jack grinned. “If you do, I’ll do everything I can to help your tribe.” The Pooka stiffened and glared at the kid. “They’re endangered, right? We can help.” Jack knew he struck a nerve.

“Are you… _blackmailing_ me?” The rabbit sneered. “You spoiled little galah! You said yourself I wasn’t fit for the job!”

“Better you than that gross Eustace guy.” The prince shivered thinking about him. “And if you wanna call it blackmailing, fine. And if you want to call me spoiled, that’s fine, too. I just know what I want, is all.” Bunnymund was clearly fuming. “Are you mad? Do you want to attack me?”

“As much as I want to, I know better.” Bunnymund said through gritted teeth. “I know the consequences.”

“I don’t think you do.” Jackson parted the cape in front of him and started taking off one of his gauntlets. “It seems you don’t know anything about the curse.”

“Curse?” The rabbit cocked his head. “You mean the fairy tail about the evil wizard?”

“It’s no fairy tail.” The prince went over to a window. “Watch.” He touched the glass with his bare index finger, and quickly, wondrously, the glass was covered in ice, starting from where he touched it. Then, the ice spread further, freezing the adjacent floor under the prince’s shoes and an innocent telescope, crackling over the golden tube. The boy reached for the telescope with his covered hand, and it broke easily in his light grasp. It was now fifteen degrees colder in the room, too.

“Strewth.” Was all Bunnymund could say. He was in shock by how much the boy could freeze with just a finger.

“Anyone or anything that touches me will instantly turn to ice, and it will never melt.” Prince Jackson explained, putting the glove back on. “There is no cure, and no spell that can break the curse. If you ever do attack me, I’ll have to defend myself.” He paused, letting Bunnymund absorb all that. “How’s that for a threat?”

Bunnymund was speechless. He still had much to say, but he couldn’t speak. He was angry, beaten, and scared because of this boy’s power. He was literally an animal backed into a corner.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you!” Jack flew – once again to the Pooka’s surprise – to the door. “See you first thing in the morning.”


	3. 3

“Wake up, Pooka!” A guard outside Bunnymund’s tiny room yelled at him, and he woke with a start. “We have to eat before the royal family wakes up!”

“Fucking drongos.” Bunnymund whispered. He felt like hell, after being injured and mentally drained from yesterday. This was the worst; he was using his warrior prowess to protect a boy he didn’t even like for crap change and to help his family, but who knows how much of that are lies. And this boy… this 18-year-old spoiled prince has this immense power. A power so great it has changed the climate of the kingdom. And the way the boy presented his power was – for lack of a better word – chilling. The look in his eyes… he just couldn’t explain it. It hurt, and it made him feel angry and actually scared. He should never feel scared, especially not of someone like him.

The Pooka had to wear somewhat of a uniform: chest armor, a stupid green cape, knee guards, and a new leather belt. He got to keep his boomerangs and his wrist protectors, though. And now he was about to eat breakfast before sunup; he wasn’t even hungry yet. And he was sure every goddamn soldier he would be working with would have something to say about him being there. This was utter hell.

As soon as he entered the mess hall, he got exactly what he was expecting: a bunch of taunts and teases. Shit like, ‘Hey Bunny-FooFoo’ or ‘what’ll ya eat, carrots?’ He saw some of the soldiers he had fought to get this position, but he didn’t see the general. Maybe the bastard was still crying about losing.

“Shouldn’t you be hibernating right now, Pooka?”

“Aw, c’mere Fluffy, gimme a hug!”

Bunnymund just ignored it. He wasn’t usually one to pick his fights poorly, except that fight with Prince Jackson… oh no, he wanted to just be called Jack. Now why was that, he wondered. Why would the boy allow him to call him by an abbreviated first name? That’s usually a friendly gesture, but they were way less than friends at this point. He just couldn’t figure any of this out.

:::

Bunnymund was instructed on his schedule and routine, which was basically watching over the prince all damn day. He would greet the prince outside his bedroom before escorting him to breakfast. Then, the rest of the day was up to the prince. Wherever Jack went, Bunnymund had to follow. It sounded totally boring. He stood outside the boy’s room waiting for him to get dressed. The rabbit guessed that he had to dress himself because of the curse. He was kind of interested how the kid ate and cleaned. He finally came out, dressed fully from head to toe and smirking at his new bodyguard. “Hi, Bunny.”

“Bunny?” He scowled.

“Well, I told you to call me Jack, so I get to call you Bunny.” He started walking down the hall. “As well as any other names I feel like calling you.”

“Cheeky little…” The rabbit shut himself up. He remembered the other two guards that were training him were still there, so he needed to behave. He looked at them, wondering if they heard what he said. They didn’t; they were whispering to each other about why he can call him Jack but they can’t. Apparently Jack doesn’t give that privilege to everyone in the palace.

“Are you gonna guard me or not?” The crown prince stopped and turned. “There are a lot of open windows here. A burglar could jump in and grab me.” The three ran up to walk by the boy.

“So, uh… why do you need a bodyguard anyway?” Bunnymund decided to ask. “The curse protects you enough, doesn’t it?”

“True, but I’m no professional warrior.” Jack explained. “I know a few things, but having an extra pair of senses is useful, don’t you think?”

“You’ve had this problem for years, yeah? Why not get one when it first started?” The Pooka was still confused.

“I just wanted a new toy to play with.” The kid smirked, though avoiding the green eyes of the rabbit.

“You’re lying.” Bunny concluded. “There’s something else going on.”

“What makes you think that?” Jack said innocently. “Besides, if there was something going on, it would be none of your business.”

“It is my business!” Bunnymund was close to yelling. “How am I supposed to protect someone without knowing why?”

“Easy; it makes your job less stressful.” He smiled falsely. “Aren’t I a nice employer?”

“Little idiot.” The Pooka said very quietly.

“What was that?” Jackson pretended not to hear.

“I mean… also, how am I supposed to protect you if I can’t touch you?”

“Why would you need to touch me?” The prince had his mind in the gutter.

“You know, pushing you out of the way, getting you to safety, carrying you…” Bunny scoffed at Jack’s dirty thinking. Jack just laughed at him.

“I’m wearing protective clothing, so the only thing you need to worry about touching is my head.”

“That’s still a lot to worry about.”

“You saying I have a big head?”

“Literally.” Bunnymund didn’t think about what he said. He was about to apologize until he heard the prince giggle. This kid was weird, letting him call him Jack and not disciplining him when he spoke out of turn, but laughing instead. He looked behind him at the guards and they were flabbergasted that he would dare speak to the prince like that. Nothing made sense around here.

They arrived at the dining hall and the king and queen warmly greeted their son. The king shot a glare at Bunnymund, and he hastily looked away. Obviously, the king wasn’t someone he could mess around with like he could with the prince. The queen sighed and waved politely, embarrassed by her husband’s behavior. This was going to be the longest day of his life.

:::

And it certainly was. The only things that were interesting that day was watching Jack eat and learning how he cleaned himself. Jack could eat quite normally as long as he didn’t touch the food or utensils with his bare hands. They built a special mineral sauna for the prince where he would simply stand inside while the steam killed the germs and odors of the day from his skin. Seriously, that was all that happened. No traveling, no appointments, no suspicious characters and no battles to the death. Is this what the rest of his life’s going to be?

“What a nice day.” Jack brought Bunny out of his thoughts. “Time for bed, bodyguard.”

“What, I don’t have to watch over you while you sleep?” Bunnymund asked.

“Nah, the night guards will take care of that.” The prince caught the rabbit’s suspicious look. “What?”

“You seem like the type that goes out to cause mischief at night.” He deadpanned. Jack laughed at him.

“You really are taking your job seriously, huh?” The kid smiled. “That’s good. I’m counting on you.”

“Wait, what?” Bunnymund wasn’t sure he heard that right.

“Goodnight, Kangaroo!” Jack walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him, leaving the Pooka out in the hallway alone.

“Don’t call me that!” He yelled, stomping his foot on the ground like a child. He just heard laughter behind the door. “Stupid kid… now, which way is my room?”

:::

After about twenty minutes of being lost, the Pooka finally found his room. He was about to go in when he heard the fluttering of wings behind him. He turned slowly, knowing that it was the fairy queen Toothiana. “Good evening.” She bowed her head.

“Your highness.” Bunnymund bowed too, really wanting to be nice. After all, she hasn’t given him shit, yet.

“I do apologize for my husband’s behavior.” She started, folding her dainty hands together. “He… _we_ haven’t been ourselves lately…”

“Oh no, a queen shouldn’t be apologizing to a servant…” He was still grateful, though.

“No, it truly is a shame for you, to be caught in the middle of all this.” She looked sad.

“Is it the curse?” Bunny asked. “Look, the prince wouldn’t tell me anything, so maybe you can tell me why I’m here.”

“Hmm… I see. He’s so proud and stubborn, just like his father.” The fairy giggled. “I will tell you, but don’t let Jackson know that I have.” The Pooka nodded. “The wizard who cursed my son is threatening us.”

“Threatening to take over your kingdom?”

“Not just that, but also threatening to take Jackson away from us.” She cringed. “I can’t explain all the details. It’s too painful to talk about.”

“It’s fine. That’s all I needed to know.” Bunnymund put his fists on his hips. “So I need to protect him from the wizard.”

“That’s not all.” Toothiana looked at the rabbit. “You see, my boy’s eighteen now, and very handsome. People are starting to take notice, especially the wrong kinds of people.” She cringed again.

“So, watch out for wizards and pervies, then?” The rabbit asked. The queen gave him an upset look. “Um, sorry.”

“Please…” She took a paw in her hands. “Protect my beautiful son. He’s our only light. I understand that all you want is for your family to be safe. We’ll start working on that right away! So please…” Tears came to her eyes. _This scene looks very familiar,_ Bunnymund thought.

“Very well.” He resigned. “I’ll protect him. I promise.” She looked at him with big eyes, finding the truth in his words. When she did, she smiled and nodded, letting his hand go. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”

“Yes?”

“Why me? I know I won the tourney, but we kind of got off on the wrong foot after that…” His ears pressed against his head.

“The Sandman saw promise in you.” Toothiana replied. “He’s the best judge of character. He’s never been wrong.”

“The Sandman, huh?” He thought of the little golden man. “Is he your advisor or something?”

“Of sorts.” She simply said. “He is also our wizard. You should meet with him sometime, as he too is protecting Jackson.”

“Fair dinkum?” He smirked. “Maybe I will.”

“Very good. Goodnight, Mr. Bunnymund.” She turned to leave.

“Your highness?” He asked for her attention. She looked over her shoulder. “Thanks a lot.”

“My pleasure.” She smiled and flew off gracefully.

“Hm… promise, eh?” Bunny referred to what the Sandman thought of him. “That little sand-bloke needs to get his eyes checked.”


	4. 4

A week went by since Bunnymund’s employment and still no sign of the wizard. There weren’t even any perverts or thieves or anything of that nature. Not that he was hoping bad things would happen, but still, he was bored other than the few workout sessions he had. He didn’t know how the other soldiers did this everyday. Before doing this he just wandered around the kingdom, seeing new sights and going on lone adventures. Being in a stuffy castle surrounded by humans wasn’t his thing.

The only reason he stayed was to assure the safety of his tribe. The royals were already working on it, sending an ambassador to meet with them. However, Bunnymund did not want his name to be used; he wanted his tribe to think the kingdom was doing this of their own will, as much as it hurt. Now he was indebted to the royal family, so he needed to do what they asked him to do.

“Good morning, your majesty.” Bunny sounded less than enthused as he greeted the prince outside his bedroom door.

“Jeez, could you tone down the happiness? You’re giving me a sugar rush.” Jack said sarcastically, but smiled nonetheless. “Good morning to you, too. And I told you to call me Jack.” He yawned while Bunny got a closer look at his face. “What are you staring at?”

“Ya got dark circles under your eyes, mate.” The Pooka replied.

“Who are you, my mom?” Jack’s face flushed in embarrassment. “I had a nightmare last night, that’s all.”

“A nightmare about what, the wizard?” Bunny asked himself why he cared.

“None of your business.” The boy sang, starting to head down the hall while his guard followed.

“Is anything around here my business?”

“Nope! Such is the life of a humble servant.” Jack snickered.

“More like a slave.” Bunnymund grunted.

“Slaves don’t get paid.” Jack pointed out.

“I told you, I’m not interested in the…”

“That’s why you deserve it the most.” He smiled. Before Bunny had a chance to respond, they were already at the dining hall where his parents greeted him as usual. The annoying kid had a habit of saying something profound right before they’d be interrupted.

:::

“I’m bored.” Prince Jackson lay on an icy sofa, shooting ice balls in the air.

“Welcome to my world.” Bunny stood there watching him.

“What do you do for fun?” The kid asked, turning himself upside down.

“Besides watching over you all day?” He said sarcastically.

“Come on, seriously.” He pouted though from the angle it looked like he was smiling. He sunk lower in the couch, his head almost touching the floor.

“Don’t freeze the damn floor.” The Pooka took a few steps back. “For fun, huh?” He had to think about that for a moment. How long had it been since he had fun? “Paint.”

“Paint?” The boy looked up at the rabbit. “You mean like pictures?”

“Yes, like pictures.” Bunny sighed. “Or patterns, or whatever I feel like.”

“So you paint for fun?” Jack clarified.

“It’s very relaxing.” Bunny felt like the brat was making fun of him.

“Oh hey, don’t get me wrong. I like to draw, too.” Jackson put up his gloved hands in defense. “I just don’t see you as an artist since you’re such a hard-ass.”

“Oh really?” He argued. “I don’t see you as an artist since you’re such an impatient brat.” Jack laughed.

“You’re so funny.” The prince smiled. And with that, the rabbit lost the fight. “Hey, let’s go outside! Just you and me.” He did a flying back flip off the couch.

“Are we allowed to do that?” Bunnymund asked. “Your father might get his panties in a bunch…”

“His panties are always in a bunch.” Jack replied, making sure his clothes were in place. “It’ll be alright, as long as you’re with me.”

 _Does he realize how romantic that sounded?_ The rabbit asked himself, looking over a smiling crown prince. He just shrugged it off and followed the boy out the window.

:::

“Crikey, it’s cold.” Bunnymund shivered while walking beside Jack.

“Pookas like springtime, don’t they?” The prince hopped from one stepping stone to the next.

“We don’t just like it; our whole culture revolves around it.” He clarified.

“Sooorry.” Jack’s voice got deeper. “You get really touchy when it comes to your family. Why is that?”

“It’s none of your business.” Bunnymund mimicked Jack.

“We’re getting along great, aren’t we?” He laughed, and started flying up in the air.

“Stop that!” Bunny shouted. “How am I supposed to protect ya from down here?”

“Man, you need to loosen up, Bunny!” Jack did some loop-de-loops.

“You’re the one who needs to take the wizard’s threats seriously!” The Pooka’s words made Jack stop in midair.

“Now how do you know about that?” The prince landed slowly.

“Word around the palace, mate.” The rabbit’s nose wiggled. “You wouldn’t tell me, so I had to find out for myself.”

“Hmm…” Jack came close to Bunny, looking in his eyes. “You’re lying. My mom told you, didn’t she?” There was just silence from the rabbit. “Whatever. Why’s everyone gotta make a big deal of him? I’m not scared.”

“Now you’re the one who’s lyin’.” The Pooka smirked.

“What do you know?” He turned to walk away.

“The nightmare you had last night.” Bunny made Jack stop again. “It was about him, wasn’t it? And it probably wasn’t the only nightmare you’ve had. You don’t get bags like that under your eyes from just one rough night, mate.” There was a long silence between them before Jackson looked over his shoulder to Bunny. The Pooka’s breath caught; there was that sad and cold look on the kid’s face again.

“You know, you don’t have to pretend you care.” Jack still tried to sound tough.

“Who says I don’t care?” Bunny asked. “I’m getting what I asked for, so the least I can do is to do what was asked of me.”

“So you’re only protecting me so we can protect your family.”

“That’s what the deal was, kid.” Bunnymund crossed his arms. “Who cares why I’m doing it, as long as I’m doing it! I said I’d protect ya, and I’m a Pooka of my word!” Jack looked like he wanted to say a million things, but chose none. “Look, mate, you want this wizard gone and the curse broken, yeah? Then ya gotta help me out a little so I can do my job.” Another wave of silence came between them, the two just staring at each other.

“… Fine.” The prince gave in. “What do you want to know?”

“The bastard’s name for one.” Bunnymund smirked.

“Pitch Black.”

“Pitch Black?” The Pooka repeated. “Creative.”

“My parents, when they were younger, defeated him once, and that’s why they’re the king and queen.” Prince Jackson explained. “And now he’s back to take the throne and me. You know, that old chestnut.” He got sarcastic again, not wanting to tell the old-as-time tale.

“Can you explain what he would want with a galah like you?”

“Beats me.” Jack half-lied. “He cursed me four years ago, and now he’s sending me nightmares to warn us of his comeback.”

“Wait, _sending_ you nightmares?” Bunny asked. “How does he do that?”

“He’s a wizard, that’s how he does it.” The teen looked the rabbit up and down. “That reminds me; how are you going to fight him if he comes around? You don’t use magic, do you?”

“My rangs can repel some spells.” Bunny pulled them out, showing the prince. “But I ain’t no wizard, mate. I thought the queen mentioned something about that sand-bloke being a wizard?”

“Oh yeah, Sandy!” The boy acted like he almost forgot. “He’s cool. He’s helping me with my nightmares.”

“Ah, so he’s your nighttime bodyguard.” The Pooka nodded. “I get how this works, now.”

“Not quite.” Jack said under his breath, but the rabbit heard it with his amazing hearing.

“What’re you on about?”

“Forget it.” The prince hovered in the air again. “I told you all you need to know, really. I’m sure you and Sandy will be no match for him.” He flew away giggling once more, with Bunnymund angrily chasing behind.

:::


	5. 5

Later that night, Bunnymund decided to go meet the Sandman. Jack told him that the Sandman slept all day because he watched over the kid at night. But the guy should be up by now as it’s almost time for the prince to sleep. Before he could knock on the door, Sandy came out of his room, yawning like he did before. When he saw Bunnymund, he straightened up and smiled, extending his hand to shake the Pooka’s. “G’day, Mr. Sandman.” Bunny shook the guy’s little hand. “I uh… wanted to talk to you about Jack.” The gold man nodded, making a snowflake over his head with his sand. “Right, well, I wanted to know if there was any way to speed up the process of defeating the evil wizard, Pitch. You know, like going to his hideout and pounding the shit out of him.”

Sandy shook his head, a few dozen symbols going over his head in seconds. “Whoa, whoa, hang on, mate.” Bunnymund put his paws up. “Ya don’t speak?” Sandy shook his head again, smiling guiltily.

 _Great, this is gonna make things more difficult._ Bunny thought. “Well, slow down, alright? I need to get used to this.” The Sandman smiled and nodded, then mimed clearing his throat. He slowed down his symbols so the rabbit could read them. “Pitch… fighting… question mark… oh, ya don’t know where the bastard’s hiding.” Sandy put his thumbs up, happy that the Pooka deciphered what he said.

“That’s nothing to be happy about, mate.” Bunnymund sighed, wanting to get this wizard problem over with. “What about you? How are you protecting Jack from the nightmares?” Sandy opened his hands, his golden sand puffing in the air. “With… sand?” The short man nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t get it.”

The Sandman saw a guard walking by and threw a sand ball at him. The soldier immediately fell to the ground, dead asleep, with little women made of sand dancing around his head. “Bonza!” The Pooka looked at the smiling sleeping man in surprise, pointing to the dancing women. “Is that what he’s dreaming about?” Sandy nodded, smirking. “So you can give Jack good dreams to counteract Pitch’s nightmares?” The golden man nodded, but then shook his head. “And, what do you mean by that?”

The Sandman explained that Pitch’s nightmares were becoming stronger and harder to get rid of. “More good news.” Bunny joked. “Are you ready for when the bastard comes?” Sandy put his hands on his hips and nodded heroically. The rabbit snickered, finding the little man to be quite a character even though he didn’t speak. “Any advice for a rookie?” Sandy explained through his sand that Pitch uses shadow minions in battle and fights dirty. “Sounds easy enough. Guess it’ll just be you and me against the gumbies, eh mate?” Sandy smiled and shook Bunny’s hand again. “Just watch your aim with that Dreamsand, yeah?”

The Sandman pointed down the hall, indicating that he should be going to Jack, now. “Wait, one more thing.” Bunny’s ears drooped a little. “The queen says you’re the best judge of character, but I think ya got me wrong, mate. I mean, I’m a warrior, but I’m no hero, so… why me?” Sandy shook his head, disagreeing with what the Pooka said. The tiny man floated up a little so he could touch Bunny’s chest with his finger, pointing to his heart. Then he said that he sees something in the Pooka that he doesn’t yet see himself, and that he will be the one to break the curse. “You must be some kinda wizard to see those things in me.” Bunny shook his head.

:::

Bunnymund walked with Sandy to Jack’s bedroom door to officially close his duties to the prince for the day. Jack cracked open the door, surprised to see the rabbit there with the Sandman. “Come to say goodnight, Kangaroo?” He opened the door more, showing Bunny that he was wearing nothing but a glove on his right hand and frosted night-shorts. The rabbit was embarrassed; he felt like he shouldn’t be seeing the prince with hardly any clothes on, as if it was against the rules or something. Sandy looked up at Bunny, seeing the strain in his composure. “Something the matter?” Jack noticed too, and smirked.

“You dress like that for the night?” Bunny sneered, knowing what the two idiots were thinking. _It’s not like that!_ “Aren’t ya gonna freeze the bed?”

“It’s already frozen.” Jack opened the door fully to reveal his large bedroom and frozen bed. “I sleep on an ice block.”

“Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“It’s surprisingly not.” The prince shrugged. “It’s better than sleeping in all those annoying clothes on a soft bed.” He let Sandy come in. “What are you doing here? You wanna watch me sleep, too?”

“I just came to check if his high and mightiness needs anything else before his bedtime.” Bunnymund said through gritted teeth, annoyed by the boy’s suggestiveness.

“Me? No, I’m fine.” Jack yawned loudly, stretching up to the sky and showing off his lithe body, much to the Pooka’s frustration. “It’s you who should be going to bed. You had to chase me all day; you must be tired.”

“I’m tired of you thinking I’m attracted to you or somethin’, which I’m not. So knock it off.” Bunny growled.

“No one said anything about that except you just now.” He grinned wily again before slowly shutting the door. “Goodnight, Bunny.”

“And don’t call me a kangaroo!” Bunny didn’t forget. He stomped back to his room, wondering just how much further that boy was willing to push him before he lost his temper completely. He opened the door to his small room to find something standing in front of his bed. He took a second look at it, realizing it wasn’t a monster but an easel with a blank canvas rested on it. Paints and brushes were stacked on the small nightstand with a note on top. Bunny took the note and read the scribbled handwriting:

_As your ruler, I order you to paint me a picture! Hahaha, mostly kidding. I got this stuff for you. Paint something and then show it to me. Maybe it’ll relax you a little, you tightwad. – Jack_

Bunnymund read the note over and over again, wondering if this was some kind of joke. But it was the prince’s handwriting, alright. Bunny couldn’t believe that the selfish little brat thought to do something like this for him. It was a _gift_ , and it was a _nice_ thing to do, in the prince’s own way, naturally. The Pooka sighed and looked over the equipment, enjoying the top-of-the-line brushes, paints and fabric canvas. It’s no surprise that the prince could get this stuff, but what was surprising was letting a simple Pooka have it.

The proud warrior scowled at himself. He was starting to feel something other than annoyance for the cursed boy, and he wasn’t happy about it. He threw the note in the air and slammed down into his bed angrily, the damned paper just happening to float towards him and land on top of his clenched paws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an old Q&A. It is long over.
> 
> Kayla: One thing that I've been wondering about: What kind of clothes does Jack wear? I just really want to know; he's a rebellious youth, and a prince who  
> doesn't seem to want to be one, so I can't picture him in tight stuffy clothes like European royalty.
> 
> Answer: Good question! If Jack wasn’t cursed, he’d totally be wearing something similar to what he wears in the non-AU, possibly a blue loose-fitting tunic and the brown ripped-up pants and completely shoeless! But because of the curse, he needs to wear heavy protective clothes and metal armor on his hands and feet so no one around him will experience an icy eternal sleep. Sometimes when he goes out he even has to wear a helmet for extra protection. The inside of his clothes freeze against his skin and it’s uncomfortable. The only times he’s able to dress down are when he showers and sleeps.
> 
> furryfox74: Anything?! Really?! Okay! Do you like cake? What kinda car you got? Favorite word to say? What color are your eyes? Do you have a sidewalk in front of your home? Favorite season? And lastly! What's your favorite lamp in your home?
> 
> Answer: Wow, um, okay (takes deep breath): I love cake, a white car with a sweet ass, ‘shit’ but pronounced like ‘shiiiiiet’, green, yes, winter (like Jack Frost!), and lastly, the 5-armed and 5-colored gooseneck lamp in my room!
> 
> Guest: Do you have an OC in one of your stories?
> 
> Answer: Yes, in two of them! Her name is July and she’s the spirit of the United States. The titles of the stories are “Almighty Therianthropy” and “Independence.” She’s not romantically involved in any of the characters, in fact, she’s a JackRabbit fan!
> 
> topaz38: Okay, questions: Is July going to be in this? (I'm a fan, accept it). If yes, is she going to be a blacksmith or something along those lines? In "Almighty Therianthropy" it was mentioned she made weapons. Just wondering.
> 
> Answer: I was thinking about putting her in the story as a friendly fellow soldier for Bunny, but I decided against it. I didn’t want to make things too complicated for myself lol. Making her a blacksmith would be a good idea, though I have no need for a blacksmith in my story. I’ll keep thinking about it, but as of right now, no. Thanks for being a July fan!


	6. 6

Bunnymund groaned as he entered the mess hall. He didn’t sleep very well for some reason he didn’t want to explain. But he needed to be awake today as something a little out of the ordinary was happening today; Prince Jackson was meeting a suitor. Jack, as usual, didn’t want to talk about that stuff, so he had to listen around the castle for information. He sat down near some soldiers who were talking about it.

“The prince is seeing another girl today.”

“Is she hot?”

“She’s fifteen. What do I look like, a pedophile? But she’s cute, I guess.”

“Not as hot as the prince, right?”

“Dude, no one’s hotter than the prince.” They all laughed. Bunny thought it was gross that they would speak of their prince that way, even if they were joking. But why should he care? He says shit about the brat to his face!

“She’s from the queen’s homeland, right?”

“Yeah, another Punjab. It seems like there’s nothing but girls in that place.”

“Well, why haven’t I moved there yet?” They laughed again.

 _Seems like he gets a lot of suitors._ Bunnymund thought. _But never chooses any. Or, do they not choose him? Guess I’ll just have to wait and find out, since the brat won’t tell me anything._

Bunny asked himself again why he cared.

:::

The Pooka saw the prince getting ready for the suitor’s arrival in the throne room. The boy was trying to tie his shoe with those ridiculous metal gauntlets on. He stepped up beside Jack, assuming a soldier-like posture. “Where’s my painting?” Jack smirked, not even looking up at his bodyguard.

“You didn’t give me a due date.” Bunnymund wisely replied.

“True.” He stopped with the shoe for a second, smiling up at Bunny. The rabbit nodded and looked away awkwardly.

“Um… thanks.” Bunny’s ears pressed against his head.

“Please, it was no problem.” Prince Jackson said. “One of the perks about being royalty.” His smile was replaced with a look of worry.

“I’m guessing today’s event is not a perk, eh mate?” Bunnymund noticed the change in demeanor.

“Well, it’s not so bad, but…” The trumpets sounded, meaning the girl was on her way in. Jack hastily went back to tying his shoe. Bunny rolled his eyes and knelt down before the prince. He realized that such simple daily tasks can be daunting with metal gloves on.

“All ya can do is give the little sheila a chance, right?” Bunny picked up the laces and tied them up perfectly. Jack was surprised the Pooka could tie bows, but mostly surprised he _helped_ him in some way, even if it was just tying shoes.

“W-Well…” The prince tried regaining composure. “I guess you’ll be tying my boots from now on.”

“Oh great, my dream job.” They both snickered, Bunny finally getting Jack’s jokes. The king and queen entered, ready for their guest. Toothiana was going on about how excited she was to see this girl after so many years, but Bunny was still smirking to himself, enjoying the fact that he flustered the boy like the brat did to him last night. _Now we’re even, ya whacker._

:::

After all the greetings and introductions, Prince Jackson and the girl took a short walk around the palace and stopped to rest on a lovely balcony, the two talking the whole time. Bunny always stood idly by, peeking at them every so often to see if they were safe. Not only was Bunnymund protecting Jack at the moment, he was also protecting the girl from the prince’s curse.

She was cute, like the soldiers said. She was a tiny little thing with tan skin, short brown hair, two different colored eyes and three birthmarks under her right eye. She was also really nice, he supposed; he tuned out most of their conversation. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, but he really didn’t want to listen to silly flirty talk. However, just then he heard the conversation get interesting. He snuck a peek from behind the wall so he could see them.

“Prince Jackson, you’re so handsome and I really like you, but…” She bit her lip.

“I know, it’s the curse, right?” The boy just sighed, as if expecting this to happen.

“I’m so sorry, but I’m just scared of it.” She bowed her head. “Please forgive me.”

“I understand.” Jack smiled. “I wouldn’t want you or anyone else to get involved in this.”

“Thank you, and once again, I’m sorry.” She bowed again before leaving quietly, a sad look on her face as she passed the Pooka. He looked at Jack, who sighed again and leaned over the balcony railing, shaking his head.

“Sorry, mate.” Bunny wasn’t sure what Jack was feeling.

“Nah, it’s okay.” The boy snickered. “She talked too much anyway. She was like an annoying buzzing fly.” Bunny laughed, coming up beside the teen to lean over the balcony as well. He saw the boy’s face, and though he was smiling, there was still a bit of sadness in his face.

“Why do ya look disappointed, though?” The Pooka wondered why he asked as he didn’t expect an answer.

“Most of them say the same thing. ‘I like you, but I’m afraid of the curse’. It gets old after awhile, you know?” Jack quickly replied, much to Bunny’s surprise. “And those are all the good ones. The others are creepy stalkers who think they can break the curse and jump at the chance to kiss me.”

“Whoa, wait… kiss you?” Bunnymund asked. “They think they can break the curse by doing that?”

“Haven’t you ever heard the legend?” Prince Jackson turned to his bodyguard. “A kiss of true love can break any curse. That’s why my parents are always trying to set me up.” The rabbit blinked, never hearing such a ridiculous thing before. “But it’s just a legend. And even if it was true, I don’t want to freeze all these people before finding the one.” Jack saw Bunny’s ears droop, thinking it was because they were talking about mushy stuff. “Hey, do you have a girlfriend?” Jack decided to push the issue.

“No.” He seemed to answer truthfully.

“Boyfriend?”

“No.” He said harder. “Can’t help ya out, mate. I’ve never been in love.”

“Really?” The prince was a little surprised. “Me either. But it would be nice.”

“Yeah.” The Pooka agreed. There was weird silence between them for a while, the two of them thinking how they could have talked about something like romance so seriously without malice or jest.

“Hey, come with me.” The prince flew off the balcony, floating in front of the rabbit. “I wanna show you something.”

“Another field trip?” Bunny rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t we be getting back to…?”

“I order you to come with me.” Jack grinned wickedly, flying over the palace walls. Bunny rolled his eyes again and hastily followed, hoping this wouldn’t be a waste of time.

:::

Jack led Bunny through the woods outside the palace grounds. The Pooka didn’t really like this; he thought he would get yelled at by the king for letting his kid outside the palace. Jack finally stopped, and they arrived at a small frozen lake. It was cold already that day, but this place was even colder. It hadn’t snowed much this past month, but for some reason, there was six inches of snow all over the ground around the lake and resting on the surrounding barren trees. The air bit harshly in this area, and Bunny could see his breath.

“This… is where I was cursed.” Prince Jackson said before Bunnymund could ask. The rabbit looked at him in shock.

“H-Here? By Pitch?” Bunnymund asked.

“Yeah. I used to sneak out of the castle and play here, and when I was fourteen, Pitch came and cursed me.” Jack was solemn as he spoke. “It was summertime then, so there was no snow or ice, at least not from Mother Nature.” He smirked a little. “My powers were controllable then. I had frozen the lake so I could skate that day, knowing that it would melt later. And then he came, chanted some strange spell as he held me up, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I was in the middle of the lake, realizing it hadn’t melted yet and there was snow everywhere, thinking I had been out for that long…” He shook his head. “The lake was the first thing I destroyed with the curse. Ever since, this place has been in eternal winter, and the weather everywhere has changed. I used to have so much fun here, but now it hurts to come to this place.”

“So why come?” Bunny asked. “Why did you bring me here? Why did you tell me all that?”

“You wanted to know, didn’t you?” Jack replied with another question. “I bet the weather has affected your tribe, too, am I right?”

“H-How… how did you know that?” The Pooka got sensitive again.

“So it’s my fault you’re here?” The kid looked down.

“No!” Bunny answered quickly and a little too loudly. “I mean… it’s not the only reason my family suffers. There are many other reasons far worse than this.” He gestured to the frozen lake. “And what makes you think it’s your fault, huh? It’s the bloody wizard’s fault, not yours!” Jack looked up at him in surprise, not expecting Bunnymund to come to his defense. “Is that really what you’ve been thinking all this time? Is that why you act like a selfish, childish and annoying little whacker all the damn time, cuz you’re hiding all this guilt? That would explain a few things!”

“B-Bunny…” The prince was speechless. He found it amazing how this rabbit could figure him out like that. Well, almost figure him out.

“Look, you…” The Pooka became distracted when he caught an aroma of something lovely, something like flowers. His ears perked up and started sniffing around. “Oi, are there flowers around here, mate?”

“Um, I don’t know. It’s been years since I’ve been here…” Jack was amused by the giant rabbit’s behavior. “How could there be…?” Bunny followed his nose and walked behind a nearby tree, his face lighting up at what he saw. “What?” Jack flew over, seeing a cute little bush with yellow flowers all over it. “How can flowers bloom here?”

“They’re winter jasmines, mate.” Bunnymund knelt down in front of them, lightly brushing off the snow. “Ah, isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yeah.” The prince knelt down opposite the rabbit. “I didn’t know flowers bloomed in winter.”

“There’s hope in every season.” Bunny sounded like he was quoting from a book.

“What is that, some kind of Pookan saying?” Jack scoffed.

“Flowers are symbols of hope and new beginnings, ya galah.” Bunny explained. “That’s why spring is so important.”

“Well, winter’s important, too.” Jack pursed his lips. The Pooka rolled his eyes before continuing to study the plant. The boy stood up and walked a few feet away. “Can’t believe he gets so excited about some flowers.” He said quietly. Bunnymund pretended not to hear. He kept observing the flowers until his vision was suddenly blinded by white snow. He growled and wiped away the damned snow, glaring up at the hysterically laughing prince who had a snowball in his hand.

“The bloody hell was that for?” The Pooka asked through gritted teeth.

“Just showing you how important winter is.” He threw the second ball, hitting the rabbit’s shoulder as he tried dodging. “What kind of warrior are you?” Jack laughed again.

“Oh, I’ll show you, mate.” Bunny laughed too, but a little darker. He made his own snowball and threw it at the unsuspecting prince, hitting him in his pretty face.

“I should warn you, no one beats me at a snowball fight.” Jack declared, and the battle began. The two dodged in and out of the trees, making quick snowballs and firing them, sometimes hitting and sometimes missing. No one was keeping score but it seemed like a tie as Jack went to hide behind a tree to catch a breather.

“Ah, there you are.” Bunny slowly stalked towards Jack’s hiding place. The boy cursed to himself, forgetting about the rabbit’s sense of smell. He got closer and closer, while Jack thought of something brilliant. He rammed himself into the tree, causing it to shake and the snow on it to fall. Bunnymund didn’t react fast enough and all the snow fell on top of him, tackling him to the ground. Jack saw it all happen and laughed at the Pooka’s disappointing state.

“Told you I’d win! Told you!” He did a little victory dance thinking he’d won. Bunny wasn’t having it. He hooked his big foot around the boy’s ankle and took him down, getting on top and pinning his arms beside his head.

“You call this winning, ya brat?” Bunny asked. Jack was silent for a second, but started laughing again anyway with the rabbit unable to not laugh along. They were having so much fun, they didn’t realize the position they were in until a few awkward moments later as their laughter slowed. They just stared at each other, not quite knowing what to do. They were so close to each other right now, so dangerously close…

“Um, be careful…” The boy remembered the curse and its consequences. So did the rabbit.

“Oh, yeah… right…” Bunny stood quickly but carefully. He extended his paw out to the kid and he took it, letting the rabbit pull him up. They stared at each other again, wondering why that had to be so awkward. “Uh, let’s get back. I don’t want your father yelling at me.”

“Heh, yeah, me either.” Jack snickered oddly, quietly following Bunnymund back to the palace. For the first time in a long time, Prince Jackson felt warm inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maggie: A. I love this story B. Favorite food? Favorite place? Hair color? Chocolate or strawberry or vanilla? Apartment or House? Cats or Dogs? Do you have any pets? Cows or chickens? Sunrise or Sunset? Have you been camping? Do you like tents? And lastly how did you get the idea for this amazing story? ;)
> 
> Answer: Chinese, my house, blonde, vanilla, house, dogs, I have a pretty little bichon frise, chickens (to eat and also to look at?), sunset cuz there’s more colors, I have not been camping cuz I hate camping but I love tents (does that make sense?), and I got the idea ever since I heard the phrase ‘ice queen’ and I was like, that’d make an interesting story. I was gonna use OCs but decided against it and used Bunnymund and Jack!
> 
> Sakural7865: *coos over the cuteness* XD Jack you sweetie, giving Bunny an artist's dream! And Sandy you card let me hug you really close like! *heart* Quick question: Am I right to fear Pitch's intentions in this fic? You don't have to answer if this could be a spoiler. ;-; I just fear for Jack in this.
> 
> Answer: Quick answer: Yes. Yes you should be scared.
> 
> Kayla: Okaaaay, so the Q&A is still ongoing, just let me think. . . . . . . ..AHA! So first: Do YOU LIKE PIZZA? Are there quite a few pervs working in the castle (as guards or even cooks or something)? Have they become more like closet pervs since the curse makes it so Jack can't touch anyone (and he has to wear layers of clothes)? Do you have something 'interesting' planned for the head guard’s appearance (he's been missing for a while)? Has Jack answered the door in his night shorts before? To someone other than Sandy? . . . . . . . . Is Jack going to tease Bunny more with lack of clothing in the future?
> 
> Answer: I LOVE PIZZA! Heehee… I like to think that everyone in the castle and the city agrees that Jack is very attractive and there are a few closet pervs around, both women and men. Since they can’t gangbang him, they masturbate to his image in the shower. And aren’t you a smart cookie, noticing the head guard is not around? I can’t spoil what I have planned for him, cuz it’s many things. When Jack usually answers the door, he cracks it open with a gloved hand to let Sandy know he can come in. Not many people have seen the forbidden body, but yeah, he wanted to tease Bunnymund, so he opened the door all the way and showed off the goods. Awesome questions!


	7. 7

Unfortunately, when they got back to the castle, they were scolded by King North about going out of the palace grounds and being late for dinner (Bunnymund was scolded more, naturally). After the cold dinner, it was time for bed. Bunny escorted the prince to his icy room. “Oi, um… I’m sorry for yellin’ at ya.” The Pooka said as they stood outside the bedroom door.

“Don’t be. What you said was true, anyway.” Prince Jackson smiled. “I’m sorry for making fun of your customs.”

“Nah, it wasn’t offensive.” Bunny rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. They were going to stand there in silence longer had it not been for Sandy, who opened the door and waved to them.

“Sandy, you’re already here!” Jack quickly stepped into his room, beginning to undress though still feeling Bunny’s presence at the door. “You wanna see the show again?” The boy grinned over his shoulder, reminding the rabbit of the last time he was shirtless in front of him.

“Goddammit, ya little show pony.” Bunnymund pressed his ears against his head and turned to leave. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Bunny.” Jack said, hearing Sandy shut the door. The Sandman gave the boy a weird look like he knew something. “What?” He saw the look out the corner of his eye. Sandy made pictures over his head: one of a snowflake, one of a rabbit, and a heart in between them. “Oh no! No, no, no, you’re wrong!” The prince stomped behind the dressing screen, continuing his undressing. “I can guarantee that Bunny has no feelings for me what-so-ever!”

Sandy made the pictures over the screen so Jack could see them, asking if he liked Bunny. “I… no, I mean, he’s a rabbit for crying out loud! There’s no way it could happen.” Sandy made a picture of Bunnymund posing like the strong warrior he is to taunt the kid. “Oh, stop, you little sassy man!” Jack waved the sand away before taking off his gauntlets last, setting them on the nightstand next to his bed. He hopped onto his icy bed and curled up, shutting his eyes to any more sand pictures. “Good _night_.” Jack made a face that was somewhere between a pout and a smile. He had a feeling he knew what The Sandman would make him dream about tonight.

:::

“Damn that little bugger, always ruining the moment with a joke.” Bunnymund huffed as he lay in his bed, staring at the empty canvas given to him by the boy. “And to make those kinds of jokes, after…” He turned to glare at the ceiling instead. He kept thinking about what happened earlier. He was… actually having _fun_. He had almost forgotten about the kid’s curse when he took him to the ground and pinned him. And that just had to be so romantic too, right? No it wasn’t, because he could have killed himself if he touched the boy’s skin!

Still, at least he was getting somewhere with the prince. He was finally willing to talk about what was going on around here. And who would have thought that they would have fun playing in the snow like ankle-biters? He saw Jack open up today, in more ways than one. He supposed there was hope after all for this tragic place.

He looked at the canvas again. Jack wanted him to paint something and then show it to him. He thought of the winter jasmine, one of the few flowers that bloom in snow, and how they could light up a desolate area like the lake. He smiled, finally having a subject for the painting. He closed his eyes and fell right to sleep, his body able to ignore the cold tonight.

:::

_Prince Jackson looked over his kingdom, beautifully green as it should be in the summer. But, that doesn’t mean that he can’t go pulling wintertime pranks on unsuspecting people. He stood on the balcony, thinking of what he could do. Maybe he could freeze ice cream to kids’ tongues? Or throw snowballs at Father’s yetis?_

_He saw Bunnymund on the grass below, bending over to sniff a tulip. The perfect prey, Jack thought. He made a snowball in his hand and threw it quickly before it could melt, hitting the rabbit square in the head. Jack laughed at him, seeing his soaked and sagging whiskers as the Pooka turned to glare at him. Jack didn’t care; he was doubled over in laughter._

_“You think that’s funny, don’t ya, ya little drongo?” Bunny shook his head to dry it off and climbed up the vines and branches growing on the side of the castle, jumping onto the balcony. “If you like to laugh, then take this!” Bunny tackled him to the ground, tickling him mercilessly._

_“No! Hahaha…! Bunny… stop!” Jack could barely talk as the claws found his bare feet, tickling them roughly. “Oh god, Bunny… stop… I can’t breathe!” The prince was finally given peace as feet were released, the rabbit still on top of him. “Stupid kangaroo.”_

_“Stupid brat.” The Pooka ruffled the kid’s white hair. They laughed, happily looking into each other’s eyes. Bunnymund smiled, leaning in closer…_

_“Well, well, well.” A sultry and familiar voice interrupted. “This is a new development.” A shadow appeared, removing Bunny and the scene right before Jack’s eyes, leaving him alone in the dark. He now realized he was in a nightmare._

_“When will you ever leave me alone?” Jack was used to this, so he just rolled his eyes and stood up. “I told you that I will never hand me or my kingdom over to you!” Pitch appeared, a tall slender man with ashy skin, a black coat, black hair, and gold eyes. He walked up to Jack._

_“Jackson, you confuse me.” Pitch put his hands over his chest. “You’re in love with a Pooka of all things? That’s just strange.”_

_“I’m not in love with him.” The kid said less confidently than he wanted. “And even if I was, it’s none of your business!”_

_“Oh, but it IS my business.” Pitch came closer. “I don’t want to see you get your heart broken after I destroy the person – or Pooka – that you love. After all…” He put his lips to Jack’s ear. “You’re mine. You’re not allowed to fall for anyone else.” Golden sand struck down on the dark wizard like lightning, making him vanish for the moment._

_“Thanks, Sandy.” Jack smiled to the sky before starting to run, to where he did not know. Suddenly, Bunny was in front of him, holding out his arms. The kid gladly fell into them, embracing the Pooka, rubbing his face in that soft furry chest. However, the fur faded away, replaced by cold, rough skin. Jack looked up and saw he was hugging Pitch now. He tried pushing away but Pitch held on to him tight. “Let go!”_

_“Dear sweet prince,” The dark wizard cooed. “Do you really think a creature like that could love you? He certainly has proven that he doesn’t even LIKE you in these past few weeks of knowing the rabbit.”_

_“I told you, it’s none of your business!” Jack got out of Pitch’s grip only to stumble backwards and land on his bum. “I’ve heard it all before from you, okay? You say I’m gonna freeze my family, freeze the whole kingdom, freeze Bunnymund, and that they’re all scared of me… but he’s different! He’s not scared! He’s not even scared to talk back to me!”_

_“Don’t you remember his face when you showed him your power?” Pitch smirked. “That fear doesn’t go away. I know all about fear, as you’re aware.” He jumped on top of Jack pinning his arms to the floor. “But I don’t fear you. I love you, Jackson. I have ever since I first saw you.”_

_“How could I ever love you after what you did to me? To my parents? To my kingdom?!” Jack saw a rope made of sand pull Pitch off him, and stood up to begin running again. He stopped, seeing Bunnymund in his vision again. “Would you stop disappearing already?” He stepped up to the Pooka, about to take his paw, but Bunny pulled away abruptly. “What?”_

_“What do you mean what?” Bunny asked, taking a few steps back. “Have you lost your mind?”_

_“What are you talking about?” Jack asked. “There’s no curse in my dreams, so it’s fine.” He tried for Bunny’s hand again, but the giant rabbit kept stepping back._

_“Stop, stop!” Bunnymund acted as though he couldn’t back up anymore. “Don’t make me hurt you, mate.”_

_“It’s okay, it’s okay…” The prince kept trying to reassure Bunny, reaching for him. “Please trust me…” Bunny stood still as if in shock while Jack put his hand on the rabbit’s chest._

_Jack’s gentle touch caused the curse to begin once again, starting at Bunnymund’s chest and working its icy path down his limbs._

_“FUCK!” Bunny screamed in anger and pain. “You selfish little bastard! How could you?! I hate you, I’ve always hated you!” He kept saying all the things Jack never wanted to hear from him until he froze completely in a blanket of ice._

_“No, NO!” Jack screamed, staring at his hands. “It’s just a nightmare, it’s just a nightmare…” He kept repeating to himself._

_“It won’t be a nightmare for long, my pretty little Jackson.” Pitch came up behind him, wrapping his wiry arms around him. “Soon him, then your parents, and everyone else in the castle.” Images of the prince’s parents in ice appeared behind Bunny, and then countless more frozen people behind them appeared. “All you’ll have is me.” He took Jack to the ground again, getting on top like before._

_“STOP!” Jack screamed, hoping for more help from Sandy. A wisp of sand came from the sky, but for some reason, Pitch was now able to counter it with his shadows. “Wh-What?” The kid couldn’t believe what he just saw._

_“Ha, finally!” Pitch grinned. “Now I have complete control over your nightmares.” Another crack of sand came, but the evil wizard blocked that one as well. “Now then, with no one to interrupt us, let’s have some fun!” He snatched the pants off of Jack’s body and leaned down to grossly kiss the teen’s neck, pinning his small hips to the floor. The shadows kissed at his body also, making him feel dirty. The ice statues of his loved ones were still there, as if watching them in disgust and horror. Bunny’s stare was the worst of all; it was full of anger, full of hatred, and there was no hope to be found in those pained eyes._

_“NO!” Jack screamed and struggled. What was going on? “This isn’t supposed to happen! Sandy! Sandy! SANDY!”_

:::

“SANDY!” Prince Jackson woke up violently, sitting straight up in his bed, coming face-to-face with Sandy. “Oh, thank the Moon I’m awake. You’re…” He saw the frightened look on the golden man’s face. “What?” He heard the sound of ice crackling and looked down, seeing his hands gripping Sandy’s sides, the curse working its way around The Sandman’s small body.

“No… why am I…?” The kid pulled his hands away as quick as he could as if it would stop the inevitable. Sandy fell to the ground, gripping his chest, trying to cope with the freezing pain. “No, Sandy please… fight it! Fight it somehow…” Jack didn’t know what to do. He never did when he did this to an innocent person. It was as if while the curse froze the person, it would freeze him, too. He never woke up like that before, either; sitting up and reaching for something, grabbing it like your life depended on it. It was more than a nightmare… it was a night _terror._

Sandy’s body was completely enveloped in ice except his head. He looked up at the prince, who was so scared and so upset and about to burst into tears. The Sandman just smiled, silently telling Jack it wasn’t his fault it happened, and he only wished he could have been stronger for him. “No, no… Sandy…!” Sandy closed his eyes as the ice wrapped around him completely, placing him in a cryogenic sleep. “Sandy…?” Jack never truly believed that this would happen; he never thought he’d start freezing his loved ones. Though Pitch always foretold such ludicrous situations, he always shrugged them off because he knew all Pitch wanted was to scare him.

But now he was scared, more terrified than he had ever been. His blue eyes kept getting wider as he stared at Sandy’s frozen body until he screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guest: I dunno why but I just imagine jack as a 10yr old brat in this even after he says he was cursed at 14 an how many years it's been since then etc. And ummm what's your absolute favorite JackRabbit fic that you've read? XD
> 
> Answer: In the story, he’s currently 18, like he is in the movie. My fave fic? Uh… yours? Lol, I really loved Code Series by LoveOfLiterature until the mpreg thing, and I love Caught by midnightalbums on tumblr.
> 
> Kayla: Loved the chapter! Now question: Has Jack ever liked one of his suitors?  
> Even as a friend? Will Baby Tooth be introduced in the story at some point? Or  
> was the suitor in this chapter supposed to be Baby Tooth? After the curse is  
> broken, will Bunny fear for Jack with all the pervs that work in the palace?  
> Does Jack know that there are pervs in the palace? How long have strange men  
> and women been lusting after Jack?
> 
> Answer: I do believe Jack enjoys meeting the suitors and if anything, make some new friends. But some of them are creepy and some of them are too scared of the curse and the wizard. It’s kind of like the movie where he wants to make friends but they can’t see him. I forgot to mention because I was in such a hurry to finish it last night, but that was Baby Tooth as the suitor. Can’t answer the Bunny question sorry! Jack definitely knows there are weirdoes in the palace. He’s not necessarily vain; he has made himself aware how attractive he is and the backlash that beauty can have on the world around you (philosophical much?) People have been noticing Jack’s beauty practically since birth, but when the kid hit thirteen, he was practically a heartthrob.
> 
> Carmen Bazor: Definitivamente es una excelente historia, Que triste lo de la  
> madición y que Bunny no pueda tocarlo (En todas las formas posibles). Oye más  
> adelante podrías hacer un capitulo donde Jack deje congelado a un posible  
> violador ? Es una sugerencia... Espero también que haya Mpreg, son mis  
> favoritos.
> 
> Answer: Cool, Spanish. Basically, the questions are (if I translated them correctly): Could you do a chapter where Jack freezes a pervert and also will there be mpreg? To answer the first, you must wait to find out! To answer the second, I’m afraid I don’t do mpreg as it is gross to me. I actually should confess that I am not fond of children or pregnancy in general, so whenever I write a fanfiction or original story, I don’t keep that in mind for my romantically involved characters. I may be a woman, but I have no motherly instincts nor do I want to have kids of my own. I love animals, though! Would love to have a menagerie in my yard.
> 
>  
> 
> Sakural7865: *plays “Looking Through Your Eyes”, fangirling over the growing romance* XD Quick, answer the questions, they're important! *takes a deep breath* DO YOU LIKE PANCAKES? DO YOU LIKE WAFFLES? DO YOU LIKE FRENCH TOAST? XD And may I please have a baby Pooka who's mommy happens to have white hair and blue eyes and isn't a Pooka? Please? *unleashes the Puppy Face of DOOM!*
> 
> Answer: Yeah, I like waffles, yeah, I like pancakes, yeah, I like French toast, and DO-DO-DO-DO can’t wait to get a mouthful! And the puppy face will NOT work on me, I don’t do mpreg! But I can give you implied mpreg as I won’t go that far in my story but you can assume they will have a child because royals always need to pass down their bloodline. Is that good? *unleashes own puppy eyes*
> 
> topaz38: Qs: Was the girl a human!Baby Tooth? London or Venice (to visit)? Cookies or brownies?
> 
> Answer: Yeah, it was Baby Tooth, I forgot to say. I guess London because I could understand the language (not big on traveling). Oh, cookies, brownies… My Mom’s Christmas cookies are the very best, so I suppose cookies.
> 
> MILLO: This chapter was adorable...also a question; How did Sandy meet the  
> royal family? Or do we get to find that out later?
> 
> Answer: What a good question! Sandy is just a very trustworthy wizard to the kingdom and the royal family, much like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. He has no relation to Pitch, but they have met before during the battle to take back the kingdom, and that’s also where he met North and Tooth. Sandy helped the two and, with the rest of the kingdom, deemed them worthy of the king and queen titles. He now ‘lives’ in the castle (he used to travel a lot before Jack’s curse). I might put this bit later in the story, but it’s not a spoiler so I’ll share it now!


	8. 8

“AAAAAAAAHHH!”

A heart-stopping scream echoed through the castle, and Bunnymund’s great ears were the first to hear it. His eyes shot open and he sat up in his bed, knowing exactly who it was that was in danger. “Jack!” He grabbed his bandolier and ran out of his room, running up stairs and through halls on all fours. Even though there were guards forty feet away from Jack’s bedroom, the Pooka was still the first one there, kicking the door open and getting his boomerangs ready. “Jack!” He said again, hoping the prince was alright.

Bunnymund stood there in shock for a moment, looking over the scene. Jack was on his hands and knees, bawling so hard he was coughing and drooling. Sandy was in a block of ice on the ground, frozen by Jack’s curse. It was freezing in the room and a thunderstorm was brewing outside the windows, as if on cue. Bunny hurried over to the boy, checking over his body to see if he was physically okay. The poor kid looked up at him with the saddest eyes he’d ever seen. His tears were frozen to his face. “Bunny… get away from me…”

“Stop spouting nonsense!” Bunny found Jack’s gauntlets and put them by his side, careful not to touch him. “Tell me what happened. Was Pitch here?” He sniffed the air for anything unusual but found nothing. He saw some idiotic soldiers just standing there at the door looking scared. “Get the king and queen, ya whackers!” They took a while to respond but they eventually did as they were told while he continued to search the room for anything suspicious.

“Jack!” He heard the king’s voice from down the hall. _Guess they heard the scream, too,_ Bunnymund thought. They burst into the room, also surprised by what they saw.

“Oh Moon, Sandy!” The queen put her dainty hands to her mouth, sobbing. She fluttered over to the prince’s closet to get him a cape to put around his shoulders.

“What happened here?” King North went over to the Pooka, glaring down at him. “This is how you protect my son?! Answer me!”

“Father, stop it!” They looked at the boy, who now had his gloves and a frosty cape on, his mother carefully patting his clothed shoulder. “This was my fault! It was all my fault! Stop blaming Bunny for everything that happens, please!” His voice cracked as he tried speaking through his tears. King North looked at the rabbit and sighed.

“Please, tell me what happened.” His voice was calmer.

“I am just as lost as you are your highness.” Bunnymund guiltily shrugged. “I assumed Pitch came in here somehow.”

“He didn’t. He was in my nightmare, but this time…” Prince Jackson trailed off, starting to cry again. His father now came to his side, rubbing his big hand over Jack’s clothed back, trying to comfort him like his mother was.

For the first time, Bunnymund realized the seriousness of this curse. It wasn’t the first time he saw it in action, or when Jack told him of the scared suitors, it was now, when he saw that he couldn’t even embrace his own parents for comfort, even though they were right there. And to not be able to hug your son and tell him everything will be alright… he couldn’t imagine the pain. Words can only do so much. The Pooka now understood why they were so sad and miserable. It hurt his heart to watch this scene. He wanted to do something about it, now more than ever.

“Take The Sandman out of here.” Bunny said to the soldiers. “He’s obviously upsetting the prince.”

“Take him to the lower floor with the others.” North ordered them, and they obeyed, picking up Sandy’s body and taking him through the door.

“The lower floor?” Bunny asked. “Is that where…?” He didn’t want to finish the sentence.

“Yes.” North stood, wiping his eyes of tears. “Now the wizard is stronger. Without Sandy… what will we do?” They looked at each other.

“I’ll watch Jack tonight.” Bunny offered.

“Bunny…” Jack was about to talk him out of it.

“Pitch ain’t getting his ass in here. I’ll make sure of it.” He looked the king square in the eyes, asserting himself. King North was surprised while his queen smiled.

“Very well. You’d better do as you say.” King North placed his hand on the Pooka’s shoulder, lightly squeezing it. He turned to Jack. “Goodnight, Jack. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Queen Toothiana gave the boy another back rub. They slowly left the room, leaving Bunny and Jack alone. Jack’s crying had calmed down a bit, and he wiped his face of frozen tears. Bunnymund sighed, sitting on the ice block bed opposite Jack.

“I know you’re very upset and scared, but ya need to sleep, mate.” Bunnymund sounded gentle.

“How can I sleep?” Jack threw his arms out. “Pitch is…”

“Pitch already had his victory tonight.” The Pooka interrupted. “He won’t come back.”

“I might freeze you too.” It hurt Jack to say it.

“I’ll sit real far away.” The rabbit said. “We’ll deal with all this tomorrow, alright?” As he went to get the chair from the desk, he noticed the bed wasn’t the only thing frozen in the room. The bookshelf, a window, and parts of the walls and floor were all cursed. He shivered, realizing for the second time how cold it was in this room. He put the chair down several feet from the bed while Jack lay down on his side with his back facing him, sniffing and hiccupping after crying so hard.

“You didn’t have to do this.” The boy said quietly.

“No, but I wanted to.” Bunnymund had his boomerangs in his hands and his senses on alert. “Now go to sleep, ya bludger.” Jack couldn’t help but smile as he closed his eyes to enter a very forced sleep with no dreams.

:::

The bodyguard fell asleep by accident. It was pretty late in the morning, a lot later than he usually gets up. He saw the sun through the window and straightened up almost immediately, realizing how late it was. He looked down at the bed, seeing if Prince Jackson was still asleep.

Jack wasn’t there.

Bunny’s heart skipped a beat. He looked around for the kid but he wasn’t in the room. There was no sign of struggling anywhere, so maybe the prince just got up earlier than him. He hoped that was the case. He found the boy’s scent and started tracking it outside the room and down the halls. Finally, he heard Jack’s voice and followed it quickly. He realized halfway down the hall that there was another person with Jack, but it didn’t sound like anything dangerous was happening. He decided to wait behind a wall and just listen to what was going on.

“Where have you been?” Jack asked the person. “Haven’t seen you since Bunny kicked your ass in the tournament.”

“My pride has been rocked a little.” The other man said. “I just hope you can forgive me.”

“Forgive you for what?” The teen scoffed. “I never had any faith in you from the beginning, Eustace. I was hoping you’d lose.” Wait, Eustace… _the general,_ the Pooka remembered. _Well, this’ll certainly be interesting._

“It hurts to hear you say that, your highness.” Eustace sounded a little angry. “I have strong feelings for you.”

“So does everyone else. Get in line.” Jack didn’t sound conceited when he said that.

“I heard what happened last night.” Eustace changed the subject. “I’m so sorry. If I was your bodyguard, I would have been there to save you and The Sandman. I would be by your side every minute.”

“I don’t want to hear it!” The prince was getting annoyed. “I can’t stand you…!” He stopped as if the head soldier did something. Bunny peeked around the corner, seeing that Eustace grabbed Jack’s arms and held him close. “Let go!”

“Don’t you understand?” Eustace didn’t listen, leaning his head down to get even closer to Jack. “My love for you can break the curse! Just let me kiss you! Just once!”

“You idiot!” Jack craned his head away from the man. “The curse would only be broken if I loved you back! Do you have a death wish?”

“I’d gladly die for you, unlike that giant flee-ridden rabbit would.” Eustace was about to kiss the prince when he felt a familiar boomerang hit him in the head, causing him to let go of Jack roughly. The boy stumbled back a little but managed to stay on his feet while Eustace held his head in pain. Bunny grabbed his returning rang and kicked the head soldier in the chest, sending him down to the stone floor. He then pressed his large foot against his chest, putting his weight on him and staring him down. “You!” Eustace scowled.

“You’re welcome.” Bunnymund quipped. “You were about to die for no reason.”

“Then why did you stop me?” He struggled, trying to get out from under the large rabbit.

“Because I didn’t want Jack to experience two deaths in twenty-four hours, mate.”

“Jack?” Eustace looked over at the teen. “He lets you call him ‘Jack’?”

“What of it?” Bunny asked, pressing his foot harder into the guard’s unarmed chest.

“What is going on here?!” A big booming voice came from down the hall. They all turned to see King North stomping down the hallway. Bunny immediately got off of Eustace and the head soldier stood, bowing to his royal highness. “Pooka, why were you attacking my first in command?”

“He attacked me for no reason, your highness!” Eustace spoke first. “I was not attacking the prince in any way.”

“But you were about to kill yourself.” Bunny retorted.

“My love would have broken the curse! No one would have died!”

“You’re a whacker if you think your love will do anything!”

“ENOUGH!” North shouted. The two stopped arguing, but now they were staring at each other in silence. “Jack, what happened?”

“Eustace tried to kiss me, and Bunny saved him from being frozen.” Jack sighed, not knowing if his father would believe him. “Eustace is a pervert, Father. He’s had his eye on me for a very long time, and he’s always grossed me out. I asked him to leave me alone but he wouldn’t. I never told you because I was embarrassed, just like I am with Pitch.” His eyes got watery but didn’t shed a tear. “I bet mother knew, too, but I’m not so sure.” King North was obviously surprised to hear this. He never noticed. 

“Eustace, is this true?”

“I love your son, your majesty. I’d do anything for him!” Now he sounded like a crazy person.

“I cannot believe this.” The king rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “You disgust me, Eustace. If you would truly do anything for my son than you would have stayed away like he asked. I’m afraid I must place you in confinement.”

“What? No!” Nearby guards came from behind and grabbed his arms.

“Sorry, sir.” One of them said.

“Get him out of my sight.” North commanded. The guards did as they were told, dragging Eustace away while he begged and screamed. Prince Jackson just shook his head. “Thank you, Pooka.” King North stepped up to Bunny.

“No worries, your highness.” Bunny was certainly surprised at how tall the king was. He was still new to being formal so he just bowed awkwardly.

“I was on my way to tell you some good news.” The king explained. “We have met your tribe in peace. We are currently protecting your Warren.” Jack never saw Bunny look so happy before. The Pooka’s eyes lit up and he took a big sigh of relief like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

“Thank you.” Bunnymund graciously bowed again, willing to kiss the huge man’s feet if he asked. “I will continue to do my job here as promised, your majesty.”

“Very well.” North patted him on the shoulder like last night, only harder. The rabbit stumbled as he stood straight once more. “I’m sorry I neglected to notice Eustace’s behavior, Jack.” He spoke to his son. “I will keep him away from you from now on.”

“Thanks, Father.” Jackson politely smiled.

“I will follow them to the dungeon. You two get ready for breakfast.” The king passed them to go to the dungeon, leaving the two alone in the hall.

“He’s starting to like you.” Jack grinned, but the rabbit turned to him with an angry face, like he had forgotten he was so happy about his tribe. “What?”

“You and I have to talk.” Bunnymund’s voice was low. “Let’s go to your room.”

“Talk, about what?” Jack crossed his arms. “I don’t have to talk to you.”

“Now.” Bunny was not having it. He grabbed the prince’s forearm, forcing him to come with him.

“What the hell, you idiot!” The kid tried pulling away weakly, but the rabbit was too strong. “Let go!”

“How about you actually try escaping, mate?” Bunny asked.

“Should I be that worried?” Jack tried again, but to no avail. “What are we talking about, exactly?” The Pooka didn’t answer. He dragged the prince all the way to his room, lightly throwing him inside and shutting the door hard. It scared the prince, making him jump. “What is your problem?”

“My problem is that you’re still not being honest with me!” Bunny shouted. “There are still so many things that you neglect to tell me!”

“As I said before, it’s none of your business.” Jack tried to stay calm. He was too tired from crying last night. “I also told you that you don’t have to pretend you care!”

“I’m way past the point of caring, mate!” Bunny had enough of the kid’s attitude.

“Right, cuz it’s your job.” Jack pointed. “Now that your family’s safe, you’ll do anything for me, right?”

“Why can’t I be happy that my family’s safe?!” Bunnymund got closer to the prince. “You are such a selfish brat!”

“How am I selfish?!” The prince asked sharply. “I tried keeping the details from you so you didn’t have to get too involved! But you just HAD to ask!”

“Keeping those things from me IS selfish!”

“Wh-What?”

“If you had just told me what the deal was, I could have better protected you and Sandy from Pitch and Eustace!” Bunny explained. “You are too ‘embarrassed’ to tell someone who’s supposed to be protecting you? THAT’S selfish!” He was silenced for a second by a weak slap to the face by Jack’s gloved hand.

“How dare you?” Jack gritted his teeth. “I tried protecting _you!_ You didn’t deserve to be dragged into this! Neither did Sandy! I can take care of myself!”

“Can you?” Bunnymund rubbed his face, which wasn’t even bleeding. “You might have a sharp tongue, but that won’t help in a physical fight. Why doesn’t a prince know how to defend himself?”

“The curse, you idiot.” Jack’s voice became dark. “Do I need to demonstrate it again?”

“You don’t want to use the curse against anyone, even your enemies.” Bunny figured it out. Jack was shocked. “Am I right? It hurts you too much to use it. If it were me, I would have let that pervy Eustace kiss me and freeze himself to death.”

“I-I…” The prince looked at his hands in guilt. It was true. He didn’t want to use it as self defense. “I used to train, when my powers were controllable. But now… I’m just…”

“Scared?” Bunny understood. “That’s alright, but now you need to overcome the fear.”

“How?” Jack sat down on his frozen bed, staring at the floor. Bunny thought about it for a moment.

“I’m gonna help ya.” He replied. The kid looked up. “I’m gonna train you. Now that Sandy’s gone, you need to help me against Pitch. You and I are gonna destroy him, and break the curse.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Jack snickered. “How did you suddenly get so hopeful?”

“It’s in my blood, mate.” Bunny smiled. “But you need to start telling me the truth, ya got it?”

“…Yeah.” Jack knew what Bunny’s next question would be.

“Why did Pitch really curse you?” Bunnymund waited for an answer but didn’t get one. “It’s because he loves you, isn’t it?”

“If you knew, then why’d you ask?” The prince was getting angry again.

“I want to hear you say it!” Bunny retorted. “I don’t want to have to keep guessing!”

“Well, you guessed correctly.” Jack sighed. “That day at the pond… it was only the first time he saw me and he said he was in love. He said we could rule Santoff Claussen together. But I knew who he was and what he was playing, so I told him no.” He couldn’t help it; he started tearing up. “He said, ‘if I can’t have you, nobody can.’ And he cursed me. And in the nightmares, ever since last year, he’s been… raping…” He put his face in his hands and sobbed quietly.

“That’s enough, mate. I get it.” The Pooka knelt down, putting his paw on the boy’s knee. He couldn’t believe how tormented the kid was. “It’s okay to be scared and sad about all that’s happened, but keeping it inside makes things worse, ya understand? Once you accept your fear, you can overcome it.” Jack peeked from under his gloved hands, staring into green eyes that had so much fire inside them, why he couldn’t guess. He wanted to understand that fire. He wiped his tears and put his hands on Bunny’s.

“Let’s start the training today.” Jack said confidently, smiling.

“Good onya, mate.” Bunny smiled back, wondering why his heart was beating so fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YokuMiya: I love those stories too but my favorite is the two you did with July in them. Guess I forgot to sign in on my last review sorry XD this chapter...scared me a bit. Ummm for a question...do you ship anything other than JackRabbit?
> 
> Answer: Thank you for liking July, I’m always worried about OCs. I’d have to answer your question with another question: Do you mean outside of ROTG or in the ROTG world? In ROTG, I can ship North/Tooth, Jack/Tooth, and even Pitch/Jack though I would find their relationship sad and haunting. Outside of ROTG, I ship things CONSTANTLY. I’m even into turtlecest (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle incest). You can go to my homepage on FF and see all the things I ship!
> 
> Pawii-Chan: I swear I actually cried when Jack froze Sandy. It was sooo sad. I love the fanfic so far, I don't really like m-preg either, and I think it's kinda...weird? Not gross, because it's cute, but weird. So quick question, Can Bunny hug Jack? Like, with all his armor-clothes and all? I just wanted to ask something.
> 
> Answer: Everyone keeps killing Sandy off, even me! I love you, though, Sandy. I agree with you with the mpreg thing. I can see why people think it’s cute, but it’s just not my cup of tea. I guess Bunny could try but it’s hard to hug someone without touching heads. Maybe if Jack wore a helmet?
> 
> Kayla: Ok I loved this chapter _ and I feel that I'm out of ideas for questions for the most part, so I'll go with one or two that might even be answered next chapter.   
> 1) Does this mean that Pitch is going to make his move to kidnap Jack?  
> 2) Are there any good jackrabbit fics you'd recommend? (I need more things to read in my free time) (Which is a LOT) (I have no life, social or otherwise)  
> 3) Is the head guard going to take this tragic even as his cue to 'make a good impression' on Jack? Any appearance at all? (I feel there is a creep popping up moment coming soon, or is it just me)
> 
> Answer: I can’t answer the first question and I already answered the third in this chapter! I can recommend Code Series by LoveofLiterature (I wish I could give you links). I also get a lot of my fics on tumblr. Caught by midnightalbums is a fantastic AU. Her other stuff is great too. ilyamatsuna7227li is another author I like on tumblr, and I read her JackRabbit stuff. I have a lot of free time and no social life too, that’s why I’m doing this Q&A!
> 
> RueRajaram: Okay, I’m just now tuning in! Love this, by the way. So, is our dear Aster going to comfort Jack? You know, ball him up against him? I just find that cute, sue me! Are we going to get to visit the Warren, and met Aster's family? And, if so, can we have Aster have a little sister, or something like that? Since no Mpreg, we can still have a little Pooka! And for my random question since everyone is asking them: Milk or Dark chocolate?
> 
> Answer: I think we’ll go to the Warren and meet Bunnymund’s relatives! MILK CHOCOLATE ALWAYS!


	9. 9

“You want to train my son in combat?” King North asked Bunnymund. He allowed the Pooka to eat with them since he didn’t get to eat earlier.

“Yes, sir.” The rabbit replied. “He needs formal training to beat Pitch.”

“We understand that, but…” Queen Toothiana looked worried. “Jack’s powers are way too strong.”

“Yeah, the last time I shot an ice blast I aimed for a tree, but it ended up freezing ten trees.” Prince Jackson explained.

“Will your powers work against Pitch?” Bunny asked Jack.

“No.” Jack looked down at his food. “He gave the curse to me, so he made it that it doesn’t affect him.”

“Then I’ll train you in hand-to-hand and weapon combat, mate.” The rabbit said. “Maybe I can help you control your powers a bit.”

“How, meditation?” Jack was being sarcastic.

“You’re not as dumb as ya look, ya bludger.” Bunny laughed. North was about to yell again, but Toothiana put her small hand on her husband’s, seeing that Jack and Bunnymund were laughing together. North eventually saw it too and calmed down.

“I’d like to see you meditate. You look like you’re too impatient for that stuff!” Jack said back. They laughed again, and the royal couple looked at each other, sensing some kind of connection between the two.

:::

“Alright, so…” Bunny and Jack went outside to some wide open training grounds. “How did you used to train? Did you use any weapons? Learn any close quarters combat? Or was it just magic training?”

“I used to use a hook staff for both magic and close quarters.” Jack replied. “It became encased in ice, though, so I can’t use it.”

“Have you tried using a different one, then?”

“No, not really.” Jack sighed. “Besides, it’s hard to wield a weapon with this stupid armor on.” He pulled at the cape.

“That’s a lame excuse.” Bunny started stretching. The teen was staring. “Plenty of soldiers fight with armor.”

“I never learned how.”

“Neither did I, but look at the shitty uniform you’re making me wear now!” The Pooka pulled at his own armor. “Anyway, a hook staff is a great weapon for you. You also have a good throwing arm.” He recalled the snowball fight they had. “Throwing knives or stars would be good too.”

“Wow.” Jack pictured himself all decked out with cool armor and weapons.

“No worries, mate. I’m gonna teach you everything I know.” Bunnymund was confident in himself as a warrior. Jack had confidence, too, and it didn’t need to be forced this time. “Now start stretchin’! Touch your toes!” Okay, maybe this would be more difficult than Prince Jackson thought.

:::

For the next two weeks, it’s been nothing but training for Jack and Bunny. Bunny taught him nearly everything: sparring, how to throw knives, use his new staff, and meditation. They went over battle strategies for when they needed to fight Pitch and his shadows. They would use other guards as sparring partners. They went into the woods for stealth and tracking training. Jack was having fun, even though it would be hard and tiring sometimes.

The boy was so impressed by his bodyguard’s skills, so much so that he’d be distracted by that agile body as the Pooka would demonstrate the next move. He’d get flustered whenever the rabbit would watch him as he tried the move, or whenever he’d touch him to adjust his posture or arms. He kept these strange feelings hidden, to Bunnymund and to himself. He needed to focus on defeating Pitch.

He feels like he has already, in a way. Ever since their talk after Sandy’s death he hasn’t had any nightmares. “Really?” Bunny was surprised as Jack told him that. “How is that?”

“Not sure.” Jack said. “Maybe he’s lying low, or maybe he just can’t get into my head anymore.”

“Yeah, cuz you got a hard head, mate.” Bunnymund joked. “By the way, why the hell are you sitting down? We’re not even halfway done with today’s training!”

“Jeez, can’t I rest for a second? I’m gonna be too tired to fight Pitch if he ever shows up.”

“Fine, ten minutes.” The Pooka gave up, sitting next to Jack on the bench.

“So, I heard that your tribe had to move because of the climate change…” The prince tried breaking the silence.

“As I said, it’s not your fault, mate.”

“I know, I know, but they’re alright now, right?” Jack asked.

“Yes, they’re alright.” Bunny sighed. It was silent again.

“You said… there were more reasons they are endangered…” The boy saw the rabbit’s nose twitch. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be.” Bunnymund smiled. “You deserve to know. After all, you told me your problems, eh mate?” Jack’s face flushed. “We’ve had problems with humans ever since I was born.”

“Humans?”

“Yeah, ones with guns.” He shook his head. “They think it’s some kind of achievement to kill a Pooka, bring it home and stuff it like a trophy. My family used to be peaceful creatures until this fad happened. We kept moving around the forest, making new homes while also making weapons and learning how to fight. By the time I was your age, I was very self-absorbed and believed myself to be the strongest in my clan. I was given these markings as a sign of my strength.” He rubbed the tribal markings on his fur. “But I was wrong. I failed my clan that day.”

“What happened?”

“I didn’t sense the hunters coming one night five years ago. They lit the forest on fire, nearly surrounding our current home. Only half of us escaped the fire and hunters… some of my baby brothers and sisters didn’t…” Bunnymund gripped his own fur. “It was my fault, mate. I should have sensed them coming. I wasn’t worthy of these markings or my family. So… I left.”

“You left?” Jack asked. “Did you at least say goodbye?”

“I didn’t want to, but my mother caught me leaving. I told her to let me go so I could become stronger.” Bunny closed his eyes, clearly holding back tears. Jack almost started crying, too.

“How come… I never heard anything about this?” Jack wondered out loud. Why didn’t his Father know about this before Bunnymund got here? “You could have come here sooner. We could have…”

“Like we needed more outside creatures interfering with our lives.” The Pooka said angrily. “We stayed away from others for a reason, mate. We didn’t trust them.” He sighed, deciding to drop that and finish the story. “A year later, the weather noticeably changed.” The boy’s face drooped. “I went to check on my family, and they had moved very far away where spring does come. They are doing fine, so stop making that face.”

“Well, you’re blaming yourself, too.” Jack retorted, pointing at the surprised rabbit. “You blame yourself for the fire, right? Well, it wasn’t your fault! It was the humans!”

“But…”

“No! No buts!” The prince shouted. “In fact, let’s agree not to blame ourselves for things we didn’t do. I won’t, and you won’t. Deal?” Bunny stared at him for a second, realizing the brat was right. He’s blaming himself for something he couldn’t control, just like Jack is. He snickered.

“Fine then.” Bunny agreed. The boy was surprised at how easily he took that. “Now get up! Let’s finish our lesson for the day!”

“Yessir!” Jack stood up, heading to the training grounds, with the Pooka following. They had no idea they were being eavesdropped on by the king.

:::

Later that night, after Bunnymund said goodnight to the prince (he was trying to undress in front of him again) and was walking to his own room, he ran into King North, who was looking very solemn. “Uh… your highness?”

“Come with me. I want to show you something.” The big man was straightforward.

“Um… alright.” The Pooka was not going to lie to himself; he was a little scared of this man. After all, he had the authority to kill anybody for no reason. He followed the king to an odd elevator mechanism (they were all over this castle). King North pressed the button and it began going down a dark shaft. It was taking a long time, and it was getting colder and colder as they went down. The rabbit was getting an idea of where they were going at this point. The elevator stopped at a short but wide dirt tunnel that had a huge door at the end of it, guarded by a yeti. The yetis were the more trusted servants of the king. They did the more important things; cooked, took care of the animals, built things, and apparently guarded mysterious rooms. He heard they used to help build toys for the children of the city, but because of his son’s problems, the king couldn’t bring himself to see other kids smile when he couldn’t get his son to. The king told the yeti to open the door. “Look, your majesty, I don’t need to see this place.”

“Humor me.” North simply said as the yeti slowly opened the door and they went inside. It was exactly as Bunny thought; it was the room where the king kept all the people and important objects that Prince Jackson has frozen. Servants, yetis, animals, coins, teeth (he didn’t quite understand the significance of those) and Jack’s hook staff. The Sandman’s ice statue stood in the middle, looking so peaceful as he slept. Bunnymund walked over to him, bowing his head as if in reverence. “We keep these people here, hoping one day they can be free of the curse.”

“Hope…” Bunny sighed, the word resonating in his head. “Why do you show me this?”

“I don’t know. Incentive, I guess.” North folded his arms. “To break this curse for my son.”

“Believe me, I have plenty of incentive.” Bunny assured the man.

“Jack likes you.” North said bluntly. Bunnymund gagged at that statement, his ears pressing against his head.

“Uh… ‘scuse me?” His voice cracked a little. 

“He’s open with you, he talks about you, most of all… he smiles and has fun with you.”

“You think so, eh?” Bunny was slightly confused by this.

“You don’t understand. He never acted this way after the curse or before he met you. Not even with his own family.” North was ashamed. “I could never get him to smile. I tried to find the wizard and destroy him, but my men and I are powerless. I did not hire you to go find the wizard, nor did I ever mean for you to fight him. I just wanted you to keep my son safe.” North smiled for the first time since Bunnymund’s known him. “But he has more than that with you. He now has a companion, a friend.”

Honestly, this was all news to Bunny. Not that he was denying it; it’s just that he never thought about it. Are they friends? At first the rabbit hated him because he thought the prince was annoying, but he’s gotten used to Jack’s sarcasm and even started laughing and throwing in his own jokes. It was like a friendly rival-ship. They spend a lot of time together, especially now because of the fight training, but it was part of his job to always be with him. They knew a lot about each other now, too. “Friends, huh?” Bunny finally mumbled.

“I need you to understand how important you are to my son.” King North continued. “You are not just his bodyguard now, understand?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Bunnymund answered a lot quicker than he thought he would. 

“Good.” North turned to leave. “Oh, and one last thing.”

“Yes?”

“I am going to make it a law that Pookas cannot be killed. Whoever breaks the law will be put in prison.” The king turned to Bunny, who was still processing that. “Is that alright with you?”

“Sir…” Bunnymund threw his pride out the window and got on his hands and knees to bow. “Thank you.”

“Yes, yes, very well.” King North brushed it off. “Now go to bed. My son is meeting another suitor tomorrow.”

“Oh, uh… right.” Bunnymund actually forgot, and for some reason, wasn’t too happy about remembering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RueRajaram: You disappoint ..Dark chocolate is ..*sigh* you will learn 
> 
> Okay, to my questions: ..We like set Sandy next to the ..And he like melt? Or  
> is Jack's touch never melting? Super Ice? ..Do we get little Pooka, Aster's sister? And do we get ..Executed for violating a royal's person? Final question: Pancakes or Waffles?
> 
> Answer: Dark chocolate’s okay. I don’t hate it. Jack’s ice doesn’t melt. If you are frozen, you’re frozen until the curse breaks. Aster will probably have many little brothers and sisters because I like to imagine Pookas come in litters. He will not be executed; he’ll just be put in a nice soft room with a neat jacket of sorts lol. I fucking LOVE breakfast food, so this is a hard one. I’m gonna go with pancakes. Please don’t be upset with me!
> 
> YokuMiya: Well this chapter ..Semi The part with Eustace anyway kinda figured he'd be some pervy dude agter Yes I meant outside of ROTG and yes I meant in ROTG Next question: do you like real life yaoi or just anime/cartoon/animated yaoi? Like only in TV shows or movies or would u like seeing it irl too XD personally I'd prefer just anime/cartoon/animated So what about you?
> 
> Answer: I like very few real life yaoi. Real people are ugly lol. I watch live action gay pornos and I’m like ‘ew, they’re hairy in places they shouldn’t be and they’re gross and their penises are small and floppy.’ I do like Avengers yaoi cuz all the guys in that movie are gorgeous. However, mostly anime/cartoon yaoi. I can like yuri and straight/hentai as well, if it’s tasteful.
> 
> Guest: I absolutely love it, but I'm a bit confused about the whole curse thing? And random Q: baby bunnies, kittens or puppies? Everyone has a favorite!
> 
> Answer: I love puppies! *squeals* that was a hard choice, though. Alright, here’s the curse’s breakdown people:
> 
> \- When Jack touches something with his bare skin, it becomes frozen and cannot melt.
> 
> \- He can eat normally as long as he doesn’t touch it or the utensil with his bare hands. He showers in a mineral sauna (I don’t know if those really exist).
> 
> \- The curse has affected the entire kingdom, as well, depending on how close you live to the castle. The weather has become cold year round and affects crops and the health of the citizens. Imagine how cold the castle is!
> 
> \- When Jack puts on clothes, it’s just like his non-AU outfit; it gets frosty. For reasons unexplained, his clothes aren’t that horribly affected by the curse as everything else is. The big metal gauntlets and boots, like the ones medieval soldiers wear, are what keep him from freezing everything around him.
> 
> \- If the curse is broken, everything that Jack has frozen will melt and come back to life. No one truly knows how to break the curse. Will killing the wizard do the trick? Or a kiss of true love? A spell perhaps?


	10. 10

Bunnymund wasn’t feeling this suitor thing today. He couldn’t understand why, though. Maybe he didn’t want Jack to feel sad if this one didn’t work out, or maybe because he wouldn’t get to train with Jack today.

Either way, he was thinking about Jack. He’s all he’s been thinking about lately. Sometimes his mind would travel to thoughts of his family, but for some reason, it always went back to Jack. Jack this, Jack that. Jack Jack Jack.

Even when he was painting, a time where he should be thinking of nothing else, Jack would come to mind. After all, the equipment was given to him by Jack and the painting takes place at the lake where Jack was cursed. He was almost finished with it, by the way, and couldn’t wait to show it to Jack.

He assumed it wasn’t so uncommon for him to be thinking about the only person he was hanging with at the moment. It was his job to protect Jack and be around him constantly, so it was only natural to be thinking of him. He told himself it would pass.

“Jack, you ready yet?” Bunnymund knocked on the door to the boy’s room. “The suitor’s gonna be here in two hours, mate.”

“Uh… hold on…” He heard Jack’s voice shake and crack. His ears stood straight up, sensing something was wrong.

“You alright?” The Pooka asked.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just… uh…”

“Just what?” Bunny opened the door and went in, seeing the boy peeking from behind the dressing screen. “You’re not even dressed, are you?”

“No. I… slept in.” He stuttered. It sounded like he was lying.

“Oh really?” Bunny pushed. “That’s a little irresponsible, eh mate?”

“Like you should talk, falling asleep that night when you should have been watching me.” Jack seemed to regain some of his composure.

“Shit, walked right into that one.” Bunny mumbled. “Seriously, is there something wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Jack began as he got dressed. “I just… don’t feel like meeting the suitor.”

“Struth?” The Pooka realized he thought the same thing when he got out of bed today. “Why not? You said you didn’t mind…”

“It gets old when people tell you they’re scared of you.” The prince said. “This one’s gonna say the same thing. Or be a pervert. I’m not in the mood for either.” He came out from behind the screen, once again overdressed. Bunny thought – and then scolded himself for it – that it’s a shame he has to wear so many clothes. “Let’s just get this over with.” Bunnymund nodded and let the boy out the door first. When he walked by, the rabbit scrunched up his nose, smelling something odd on the prince.

 _Is that… Is that arousal? Sex?_ Bunny hadn’t smelled that in years. It was a very faint scent and it smelled slightly aged like he did it a few hours ago. Bunny took another quick whiff and didn’t smell it again, nor did he pick up any foreign scents from possible others. He brushed it off, thinking it was just his imagination. But if it was, why was he imagining it?

:::

“Do you know anything about her?” Bunny tried breaking the weird silence. It wasn’t awkward, just… weird. Jack usually starts the conversations while Bunnymund ends them, but the kid was just sitting quietly in his throne.

“She’s from a land really far away, across the ocean.” Prince Jackson replied, making it sound like a fairy tail. “Their customs are really wild and out there. I actually kind of like it. Her parents died and now she’s the leader. She doesn’t like to be called a queen, though. What was the word… president?”

“What’s her name, and don’t tell me you forgot it.” Bunnymund grinned.

“I didn’t forget! It’s uh… Julie, or something.” The prince wasn’t too sure. “She’s 21. I saw her picture. She’s really pretty.”

“Sounds like a keeper to me.” Bunnymund was half sarcastic. “If you marry her, you’d probably have to go live in her land.”

“Whoa, hey, one step at a time!” Jack was blown away by the word ‘marry’. “I told you, I’m not even in the mood for this today.”

“Ya still gotta be nice to her, mate. She came a long way to be here today.” Bunny made a good point.

“It sounds like you like her.” Jack couldn’t help but tease. The Pooka simply rolled his eyes.

“I told you, I don’t need your help! I can get up these goddamn stairs myself!” They heard a deep, feminine voice coming from the hall.

“Did you hear that?” Bunnymund asked.

“Y-Yeah.” The kid was surprised. “Was that her?” They heard some mumbling and loud shoes before the door to the throne room burst open, revealing the suitor.

“Presenting Lady July from America.” The worn-out servant announced. Jack said she was pretty, but that word didn’t cut it. She was gorgeous. She had platinum blonde hair and ruby colored eyes. Her curves were obnoxious and her skin was flawless, and she was showing a lot of it with her skimpy and short red, white and blue dress. She was probably already tall but the strange shoes she was wearing made her seem taller. The men have never seen heels that high on footwear before. She smiled and walked briskly to Prince Jackson as he stood to greet her.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I’m July.” July took his hand and shook it pretty hard. Jack was clearly shocked, but not just because of that. “Oh, did I hurt you?”

“N-No, it’s just, uh…”

“He’s not used to people that are willing to shake his hand, sheila.” Bunny finished for him.

“Right, that curse thing.” July acted as if she forgot. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not scared of some shitty wizard and his curse.”

Both males let their jaws drop, not believing that was one of the first things they hear from this woman’s mouth. Still, if that was the case, she must be a pervert instead.

“Oh, look how cute you are! I could just eat you up!” Yep, she was a pervert. “And who are you, Mr. Giant-Rabbit-Man?”

“I’m a Pooka. Name’s Bunnymund.” He said firmly. “I’m the brat’s- I mean prince’s personal guard.”  
“Awesome.” She simply said. “So, what am I going to do with you two boys today?” They looked at each other before the prince offered to show her around.

:::

Bunnymund was surprised at how interesting this girl was. July was not only the president of America, but also the commander-in-chief in charge of the military and foreign affairs. She ran a business that manufactured and invented weapons. She has a giant pet eagle named Revere that they met as he relaxed in the reindeer stables. She has the power of fire, much like Jack’s power of ice. She created weapons that turned her power into a quick and powerful projectile, which she gladly showed off while they were outside. She was hilarious, too; some of her jokes even made the Pooka laugh.

She seemed like the perfect woman. Beautiful, bold, funny and badass; a perfect match for Prince Jackson. Why, though, did this bother him? Perhaps he was worried about her having to deal with Pitch and the curse. July might have fire power, but even that cannot melt the cursed ice. He was also worried that if Jack fell for this girl and she became a victim of the curse, how he would react. The reaction of Sandy falling victim was terrible enough; he didn’t want to see Jack go through that again.

Bunnymund was worried about Jack right now. The prince, though thoroughly attempting to enjoy this woman’s company and even losing track of time (it was now very late in the evening), still seemed distant and quieter than usual the whole day. July seemed to notice it too. The two sat in one of the luxurious living rooms while Bunny stood guard outside the door, not forgetting to sneak a few peeks at them every now and then.

“You know, Jack…” July was permitted to call the kid ‘Jack’. “I got a feeling you’re not yourself today.” He looked up at her, amazed that she could figure that out. “I know I just met you, but still…”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude…” Jack trailed off.

“I bet you have a lot on your mind.” She crossed her legs. “You have a fucking wizard after you. That must really suck.” She sighed. “Actually, sweetie, I have something to tell you.” He looked at her again. “I’m afraid I don’t see you as a potential husband. Don’t get me wrong, you’re great and incredibly cute, but cute and innocent isn’t my type, you know?” He stared at her for a second. “I’m sorry; don’t give me that face…”

“No! No, actually, it’s fine.” The boy kind of laughed it off. “It’s just… you’re the first person to turn me down because of my looks and not the curse.”

“Please, the curse doesn’t bother me. Though I do wanna pinch those cheeks…” She winked at him. “You’re so cute, but like a little brother. I like a man with a little more danger, cool and mysterious… much like that bodyguard you have.” Bunny heard that, and his ears pressed against his head, surprised. She laughed, until she saw how crazy red in the face the boy got. It suddenly clicked in July’s head what was going on here. “Oh shit…” She pointed to Jack, and then to the rabbit (who luckily wasn’t paying attention).

“Shh!” He wildly gestured for her to not speak.

“Oh, okay.” She understood even more, grinning so much Jack thought her face would split in half. “Listen Jack, if anything, I’d love to be friends with you. We could be pen pals! What do you say?”

“Friends…” The girl surprised Jack again. “I… I’d love to.”

“Awesome! I’ll come visit soon, too!” She leaned close to the kid’s face. “After you have everything settled.” She winked and Jack’s face flushed. “See you!” She patted Jack on the shoulder before she left. She gave one last look to Bunny, as if to say, ‘you’d better take care of him.’

“See you.” Jack said a little too late, trying to cool himself off before Bunny came into the room.

“Well, that was different.” The rabbit said. “Not what you expected at all, huh mate?”

“No.” Jack quietly replied. “She said we would be friends.” He looked up at Bunny with innocent eyes. “Do you think she meant it?”

“Of course she did. The woman’s as blunt as a club.” He couldn’t help but think how cute the kid looked right now. “She’s a good one, Jack, really.”

“Wow, I made a friend today.” Jack stood up and smiled, looking like he was back to his old self. “And you said it was going to be a bad day.”

“Yeah, I’m the one who said it.” Bunny laughed. “You know, mate, she’s not the only friend you have.” The prince looked at him, slightly confused as to when things got serious. “I, uh… thought I’d tell you in case it wasn’t obvious, so… I consider us friends.” _Could that have been more awkward?_ Bunny mentally face-palmed. Jack continued staring, a smile curling in his lips.

“Do you?” The prince looked so happy.

“Yeah, Jack. Hard to believe?”

“A bit.” Jack smirked. “But I’m glad we’re friends.”

“Me too.” They smiled at each other, feeling a weight lift off their shoulders, though… they still felt slightly heavy.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I really wish I could hug you right now.” Jack laughed, watching the Pooka’s ears twitch. “By the way, how’s that painting coming along?”

“It’s coming along.” Bunny replied wisely. “You sure are eager to see it.”

“Of course! I can’t wait!” Jack smiled cutely. The rabbit couldn’t stop his heart from beating faster.

He was going to finish that painting _tonight._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kayla: Okay, so I have a couple questions in mind now, because I'm not totally  
> exhausted and forcing myself to stay awake because "I WANT TO READ MORE!" is the main though resounding in my head.
> 
> 1) What are some of the things that Jack has frozen?   
> 2) Have most of his clothes been enchanted so he doesn't freeze his  
> undergarments?  
> 3) Have there been any *slightly* comical ways that someone has gotten  
> themselves frozen by touching Jack? Like someone trying to spy on him while  
> changing, and getting a little ahead of themselves? Groping him maybe?  
> Something that would leave the person in a very embarrassing position?
> 
> Answer: 1) When Jack first got cursed, he was freezing everything, like the water in the bathtub, his hairbrush, and his eating utensils (which would in turn freeze the food). He would pet animals and they would freeze. He would just brush past someone in the hallway and they would freeze. He even froze his crown and some of his royal jewelry (for some reason they don’t count as clothes). It’s not like he meant to, it was just absent-mindedness. It’s like when you have an injury and you can’t do your everyday tasks, stuff you take for granted. Finally he learned he could wear gloves to stop the freezing. This brings me to the next answer:  
> 2) No one’s exactly sure why his clothes are the only things that aren’t 100 percent affected by the curse. Jack thinks because Pitch loves him he might be jealous of others who would get to see and touch his beautiful skin, so the clothes remain unaffected to make Jack shield his body from others, both for their safety and to stop their wandering eyes.  
> 3) None of the incidents have been comical for Jack. Even when the suitors (or whoever) are perverts and they touch him or kiss him, the experience has been horrible. Jack doesn’t want anyone to die, no matter how horrible they are. He doesn’t even laugh when he freezes a lifeless object. Good questions as always!
> 
> Guest: Just keeps getting better and better! Oh, what you favorite music?
> 
> Answer: Thank you! I seriously like all kinds of music, pop, rock, hip-hop, show-tunes, disco, dance, 70s, 80s, 90s, AUGH EVERYTHING! I like a little bit of country, like pop-country, but that’s really the only genre I don’t particularly like. I don’t like blues, either. Makes me extremely depressed.


	11. 11

_Bunnymund sat by the lake, making some new paints for his next project. The springtime breeze was relaxing as it wisped through his fur and calmed his muscles. It was so serene…_

_“Hi, Bunny!” A cool finger poked the back of the Pooka’s neck._

_“Ya little whacker, ya almost made me spill the paint!” Bunnymund looked over at Prince Jackson with a scowl._

_“Play with me!” Jack whined._

_“Fine.” He put the paint down. “What game?” Jack flew to the middle of the lake, freezing it solid with a touch of his bare feet._

_“Ice skating!” The prince spun around, his loose-fitting tunic flowing with him._

_“If you can find a pair of ice skates to fit these feet…”_

_“You don’t need skates, stupid.” Jack started moving easily over the ice. “See? It’s easy.”_

_“My paws will freeze, mate.”_

_“No, they won’t.” Jack looked over at the Pooka’s unsure face and drooping ears. “You never ice-skated before, huh?” He slid towards Bunny and held out his hand. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!” He smiled brightly. Bunnymund couldn’t help but stare for a second at that beautiful face._

_“Alright, but no pranks!” He ordered as he took the boy’s cool hand. The two hesitantly stepped on the ice. The rabbit slipped a bit, trying to keep his balance. “Bloody hell…”_

_“Now just push forward with your feet.” Jack began skating backwards as he held Bunny’s hands and pulled him a little. He couldn’t help but laugh as the Pooka wiggled around to keep his balance while moving forward. Bunny didn’t last; he slipped, fell, and took Jack with him. Somehow, the prince fell under Bunny while the rabbit tried his hardest not to land on top of the skinny body and crush him, exposing his claws and digging into the ice with all four limbs._

_“Jack, you alright?” Bunny was worried but Jack was laughing hysterically at the rabbit’s cat-like behavior. “You little bludger.” He quickly pulled in his arms and legs and secured himself over Jack, lightly body-slamming him. The boy was forced to exhale sharply._

_“Hey, you can’t do that to a prince.” Jack was fake-angry._

_“Prince?” Bunnymund looked around dumbly. “I don’t see one of those around here.” They both laughed at each other, slowing down after they realized how close their faces were to each other’s. This scene was very familiar to the Pooka, it happening sometime before the curse was broken. But now that there was no curse to come between them, it seemed different, but somehow just as dangerous._

_“Bunny…” Jack cooed. Bunnymund’s breath caught in his throat. Since when did he find the boy so beautiful? His pretty pink lips were parted and inviting, his cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes… does that shade of blue exist anywhere else in the world?_

_Bunny stopped thinking at leaned down to kiss the prince passionately, their mouths steaming as they met again and again. Minutes into their kiss, the ice cracked below them and broke, the two floating underwater._

_However, for some reason, they didn’t let that stop them. It was a watery blur from there: clothes and armor suddenly disappearing, bodies clashing, and bubbling moans escaping their kisses. But they needed to breathe, they needed to breathe…_

:::

“Ah!” Bunnymund woke up gasping for air. He looked around his room, making sure he was definitely awake. As soon as he was sure, he sagged back into the mattress, covering his face with his shaking hands. “No…” He whispered. “No no no no no…” He whimpered, feeling abnormally hot and full of shame. How could he have a dream like that? Does this really mean that… the feelings he had for the kid are more than friendship… _as expected?_

“NO!” He slammed his fist into the wall, begging for this not to be happening. He felt a jolting sensation between his legs when he shifted. He looked down, seeing he was half erect. This is not good, not in Bunnymund’s eyes. He was thinking and dreaming of naughty things to do to an 18-year-old spoiled rotten brat who just happens to be a prince and _isn’t_ a Pooka. He shouldn’t find someone like that attractive, not in this way.

“C-Crikey…” The erection was not going away. He reached down to touch it, but decided against it at the last minute. He was not going to do this. He got up and ran to the showers, taking extra care not to run into the drying painting by the bed.

:::

“When…?” Bunny asked himself as he put his head under the cold running water. “When did this start? How did we even become _friends?”_ He felt like he couldn’t use that word anymore. If Jack knew, he would be disappointed. Or would he? The kid was always trying to undress in front of him and make passes at him, so… no, don’t be ridiculous. Jack knows he’s good-looking and could get any guy or girl (and now giant rabbit) simply by standing there. He was just testing the Pooka, to see if he would fall.

And he passed. Congratulations, he feels like every other pervert in the castle now.

He sighed, happy that his stubborn dick finally tucked itself away under the cold water. And that was another thing; how would a relationship with a cursed prince work? It can’t, that’s how. A kiss of true love to break the curse… not likely. It’s just a fairy tail; no one’s seen it in action. Besides, how can there be true love between a Pooka and a freezing brat? He wasn’t even sure if what he felt was love; it could just be weird lust that happened because he hadn’t wanked in a while.

Either way, this was messed up. How was he going to face Jack after this? He thought of running away, but he made a deal with the king, and Jack would be so disappointed… “No, stop thinking about Jack!” He whisper-yelled to himself, turning the water off and shaking to dry off. He had a few more hours to sleep and he didn’t want to waste them. As he entered his room, he looked at the painting that he had finished hours before so he could show Jack the following morning. But now the painting didn’t seem like the innocent show-and-tell project he thought it was. Now it was symbolic, a representation of his devotion to the prince. A part of him just wanted to take it, throw it in a bin and set it on fire. But he knew he couldn’t do that.

Tomorrow was going to be an awkward day.

:::

Bunny couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or excited as he knocked on the door to Jack’s room. He had the painting in his arm, ready to show the boy. “Oi, answer the damn door already!” He couldn’t let what happened last night show on his face or in his voice.

“Like I know exactly when you show up at the door.” Jack let Bunny in. The boy had not yet put on his shirt, and the Pooka tried desperately not to stare. He’s seen the kid shirtless many times, but this time seemed different, all because of the erotic dream. “You’ve been in a good mood lately, so why are you pissed now?” Jack went back to dressing.

“I just…” He thought quickly to come up with an excuse. “Didn’t get to sleep long.”

“Why?” Jack turned to face him, seeing the canvas under the Pooka’s arm. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It is, mate.” Bunny replied, hiding the picture from the prince’s eyes. “The reason I didn’t sleep much.”

“Well, don’t be grumpy about it!” Jack put on his left gauntlet. “Or does it suck?”

“That’s up to you to decide.” Bunny smirked at Jack’s impatient, childlike expression, ready to see it as if it were a show. “Relax, it’s just a painting.” He turned it around, finally showing Jack. The boy gasped, looking at it with awe. It was a landscape of the frozen lake, the place where he was cursed. The beautiful, bright yellow winter jasmines shined in the bottom left corner, giving the landscape dimensions. It was as if he was standing there at the lake; it was so life-like. The flowers made the cursed place holy again.

“It’s beautiful.” Jack’s face flushed in amazement which didn’t go unnoticed by Bunnymund. The Pooka sighed happily, glad the kid liked it. He handed the prince the canvas. “Huh?” He looked up at Bunny.

“If you think so, then it’s yours, mate.” Bunny said.

“Oh no, come on now…” Jack stuttered. “I didn’t mean for you to give me the painting, I just wanted to see it.”

“You gave me the canvas and told me to paint something.” Bunnymund grinned. “I painted it for you no matter how you look at it.” Bunny realized how romantic that sounded a little too late, cursing himself and tried slowing his rapidly beating heart.

“Oh, uh… well… thank you.” Jack smiled so purely Bunny thought his heart would split in two. “I’ll get it hung right away.”

“R-Right.” Bunny cleared his throat, feeling awfully smug about how much Jack seemed to like the painting. “Let’s get to breakfast. Don’t want your old man yelling at me again.”

:::

The day seemed to be longer than any other. Every glance the two shared, every brush of annoying cloth and armor on fur, and every simple conversation made the rabbit more frustrated. Every second of scanning over lovely white skin and peering into the bluest of eyes seemed like hours, days even. He was thinking harder about the curse; he needed to resist the urge to pat that unruly hair or touch perfect skin. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, not about a human-looking male. And it was just one dream! He usually forgets his dreams an hour after he wakes up, but this one just haunted him all day.

Bunnymund exhausted himself by the time the late evening came. He walked the boy to his room mechanically. Jack noticed the fatigue on the Pooka’s face and the distance in his eyes. Jack poked him in the side, making him jump in surprise.

“What’s the matter with you? You’ve been acting weird all day.” Jack asked quietly.

“Huh, oh… sorry, mate.” Bunny rubbed the back of his head. “Guess your wackiness from yesterday rubbed off on me.” Saying that made everything click in Bunnymund’s mind just then. Jack was acting just like this yesterday: stuttering, staring off into the distance, and in the morning… that faint smell of sex… could it be…? He could have sworn he saw Jack twitch as they entered his room. “Jack…”

“What?” Jack turned around, smiling like normal. Was he imagining things again?

“Uh, I… actually wanted to talk about yesterday morning.” Bunny could not stop himself from saying that. “Did… did Pitch give you another nightmare, or something?”

“What? No!” The boy replied, starting to undress and taking one of his gloves off. “I told you, he hasn’t been bothering me lately.”

“You sure?” Bunny asked. “Because… yesterday, I thought I smelled something… funny… on you…”

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Jack stuttered, and the Pooka didn’t miss it. “I’m telling the truth. Pitch was not bothering me yesterday.”

“But something was.” Bunny didn’t know why he was so persistent about the issue, if there was one. “You’re hiding things from me again.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“And there you go with the famous line.” Bunny said sarcastically. “Haven’t heard that in a while.”

“It seriously isn’t.” Jack’s features became dark. “Look, I told you everything you need to know about Pitch and the curse. What more do you want?”

“Well, excuse me for caring!” The Pooka was losing his temper.

“Do you really care?” Jack meant to only think those words.

“Are you serious?” Bunny couldn’t believe he said that. “What could possibly make you think I don’t…?”

“Father told me about the law he’s passing.” The boy smiled somberly. “Congratulations.”

“What does that have to do with…?”

“That’s why you’ve been so nice to me, isn’t it? Because Father rewarded you for your hard work!” Jack spat out the words. “It’s just like I always thought. As much as I admire you for caring about your family, I can’t help but feel…” He stopped, realizing he wasn’t making much sense. He looked up at a bewildered Bunny. “Do you know why I chose you to be my guard? It was because you had the balls to yell at me, threaten me, and not be sympathetic about the curse to my face. You didn’t treat me like a prince; you treated me like a normal person. It was fun to argue with you and tease you because you actually retorted and responded instead of falsely brushing it off like all the other servants did. But now, though arguing is still fun, I guess I wanted more from you… I don’t know how to put it…” He shrugged. “You’re only here because you want to save your family. Every time Father has rewarded you, you’ve stepped up your game: being nice to me, giving me the painting… it had nothing to do with me.”

Bunnymund realized how it might have come across as such, but it was truly all a coincidence. He was ashamed to admit to himself that he’d hardly thought of his family at all since meeting the prince.

“I thought I could be fine with that, until the night before last, I…” Jack started crying.

“You what?” The Pooka stepped forward, anticipating a confession.

“Forget it.” The boy was being stubborn, turning away from the rabbit. “It doesn’t matter, believe me.” There was silence for a while.

“Fine then.” Bunnymund turned for the door, being stubborn himself. “If you won’t tell me the truth there’s no point in speaking with you.” He felt something cold grip his paw, thinking that it was the prince’s bare hand for a second. Frightened, he yanked away his paw and inspected it, making sure it wasn’t freezing. When he was sure it wasn’t and was sure that it was the cold metal gauntlet that grabbed him a second ago, he turned to Jack, seeing the most pitiful expression on the boy’s face. Bunny realized his mistake in pulling away too harshly.

“I knew it.” Jack shook his head. “You are still scared of me. You don’t even trust me.”

“Jack, no, I…”

“Just get out!” Jack yelled. “Go back home to your poor little endangered tribe! I don’t need you!” The prince covered his mouth, not believing what just came out of it. A flash of anger went through Bunnymund’s green eyes but it left as quickly as it came; now giving the boy a sad and sensitive look. “Oh Moon… Bunny… I’m sorry…”

“I’m not going anywhere, mate.” Bunny said quietly, stoically. “Ya can’t get rid of me that easily.” He backed away from the sniffling kid and exited the room, resisting the urge to just run back and hold him in his arms. He ran down the halls, surprised with himself. He wasn’t angry with Jack. He should be, but he wasn’t. In fact, he seemed to fall for the boy even harder. He found his room and bolted inside, shutting the door loudly and leaning against it. He surprised himself again when he felt hot tears run down his furry face. He slid down the door and buried his face in his paws, his shoulders bouncing as he tried to suck air into his lungs. He selfishly wondered if Jack was crying, too.

:::

Eustace groaned and cried out into the night, disturbing the other inmates. The former general was slowly losing his mind the past few days, and now it was just unbearable. No one knew why he was screaming, begging to ‘make it stop’ and ‘make him go away’. Finally, the inmates heard him scream one last time, and then make a disgusting choking and gagging noise after, as if vomiting. They heard Eustace’s body fall to the cement ground, possibly his skull cracking, too. They couldn’t exactly see what happened; it was too dark.

“Excuse me, fine gentlemen…” They heard a suave, sultry voice that wasn’t Eustace’s. They saw frightening gold eyes glowing in the darkness, and a shifting shadow around them, like a ghost. They were so scared they couldn’t even scream. “Can you tell me where the prince’s quarters are?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kayla: July made an appearance! She's just what Jack needed to keep him cheerful, in my opinion. AND SHE KNOWS! It seems July will always be a jackrabbit fan and now all is right, mostly. Thanks for the answers by the way, now for me to think of some more questions!  
> 1) Have you seen this new show called Sleepy Hollow? If you have, did you like it?  
> 2) Did July fly to the palace?   
> 3) Have you ever noticed how weird people act the night of a full moon?  
> 4) Do you like Scary Movie? Like 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 not A scary movie THE Scary Movies.  
> 5) Are Jack's parents going to freak once they find out about how Jack and Bunny like each other? Or do they already know? I have a feeling that North would be the oblivious parent that'd have a problem with their child  
> 'suddenly' growing up. Though it's more likely that with Bunny being a guy also it'd feel like he's giving Jack away to someone, rather than if Jack was in love with a girl. No one ever worries about having to give the shovel talk to their son's girlfriend or wife.
> 
> Answer: 1 & 4) I haven’t seen Sleepy Hollow but I’m interested. Haven’t seen the Scary Movies either. I saw the end of 5 when I worked at the movies and laughed at the bloopers! 2) She did fly on Revere to get there. 3) Full Moon really does make people crazy. I am one of those people. *slowly turns into a werewolf* 5) Tooth probably knows that it’s more than just a friendship, but North’s completely out of it. Tooth’s the one that had to explain to her husband that they were friends; he didn’t figure that out on his own! Lol shovel talk; took me a while to get that joke.
> 
> YokuMiya: OMG soon as he said Julie I'm like: July. F*** yes. And onto a question. How did you come up with July? I mean I get how important she was in the other two fics but if u wanted, she coulda been ANYTHING so how'd you come up with/decide to make her the spirit of USA?
> 
> Answer: True, she coulda been anything. I suppose I was thinking of the major holidays and instead of coming up with another Cupid, I decided on this: A Lady Liberty with a short skirt and big tits! The anime Hetalia was an inspiration, as well. July’s basically me if I were in the ROTG universe; as in, this is how I would act around the Big Five. It’s funny; I’m not a big America fan right now. There are a lot of things we’ve been doing wrong the past years, so I basically built my own American heroine. Fuck goody-two-shoes Captain America.
> 
>  
> 
> (Asshole) Guest: Ocs seriously take everything good and makes it suck. Please tell me shes not going to be back. I Love this story and I love the plot. Please dont ruin this story with an oc! Ugh! Finally 1 good story and they bring a oc... Goddamn it.
> 
> Answer: She won’t be back. Happy?


	12. Chapter 12

“Wake up my sleeping beauty.” Jack heard a familiar voice, feeling a cold hand touch his cheek. His eyes shot open, seeing the evil wizard, Pitch Black, hovering over him and smiling, showing his gross crooked teeth. His first reaction was to scream for help but something stifled his voice; a shadow covered his mouth. He tried getting up but the shadows bound his arms and legs. Was this real or a nightmare? It hurt… the shadows pulling at his skin were hurting him. It was real; Pitch Black was in his room. How did…?

“How did I get here, you ask?” Pitch knew what the boy was thinking. “Well, I could no longer come to you in your dreams; something was blocking me. Hope, it seemed.” Jack’s eyes widened. Hope? _Bunnymund…_ “But through my mind’s eye I found a sad lovesick general in your prison cell. What an easy target. I used him as a vessel to sneak into the castle. It’s a shame; I wished to thank him later, but unfortunately he didn’t survive the process.”

“Mm?” The prince couldn’t believe such a thing. Tears formed in his eyes and he started struggling with the binds again.

“Oh, don’t cry my little beauty.” Pitch wiped the tears. Jack almost forgot that he is the only one who can touch him without getting frozen. It was his curse, after all. “Your pretty face is already stained with dried tears. Let me guess, you got into an argument with your pet Pooka? Don’t worry, I’ll be taking care of him, as well as everyone else in this palace.” He picked the boy up using his shadows. “Actually, I’ll be needing your powers for that.” They flew out the window, hoping that somehow Bunny could hear his mute cries for help.

:::

“AAAAAGH!!!!” A scream from down the hall shocked Bunny awake.

“What in the bloody hell was that?” Bunny grabbed his gear. He ran down the hall and stopped abruptly, the sight paralyzing him. A servant was turning to ice from toe to head, screaming for his life to be spared. Many other bodies of servants lined the corridor. However, Jack was nowhere to be found. The curse, it seemed, was spreading through the building, through the cracks in the ceiling down the walls and across the floor. Everything was frozen in crystal-like ice, and spreading quickly. Bunnymund narrowly escaped the spreading ice and began to run in the opposite direction, climbing stairs and zipping down hallways.

His luck eventually ran out. The ice curse was now coming from all directions and he was backed against a window. He had to jump out. He was higher up than he thought and decided to try to reach a small tree outside to land on. He hurried, leaping out the window and grabbing the nearest branch as it whipped him back and forth until finally settling with his weight.

“No…” The Pooka jumped down from the tree and gazed up at the palace. It was completely frozen. The spreading seemed to stop after freezing just a few feet of the grass that cushioned the stone walls. As far as he knew, no one else escaped the ice. “Jack!” He needed to get to him. Bunny ran around the castle until he could see the prince’s windows to his room. They were blown open by someone. He hoped the boy was still in there.

He wasn’t sure if the curse was still active, if he would freeze against the palace wall. He decided to test it by picking up a twig and tossing it onto the frozen grass to see if it would freeze, too. Luckily, it didn’t. Bunny sighed in relief before clutching the iced walls with his claws and started climbing, quickly but carefully. “Jack!” He was getting closer. He heard no response from inside the room. “Jack!” He called again as he finally reached the window, hurriedly scanning the inside, which also was shielded with ice. The prince was not here. “DAMMIT!” He growled, pounding his fist on the window pane. He assumed that the prince was captured by Pitch.

“The king and queen…!” Bunnymund thought to see if they escaped the curse. Their room was not far from Jack’s, so he scaled the walls until he found the grand balcony that led to their room. He was breathless when he finally arrived, only to become more so when he saw their frozen bodies through the ice-glazed glass doors. Even Queen Toothiana, who had the gift of flight, did not escape. “What… what the hell is happening?”

Suddenly, a big gust of wind and snow nearly knocked Bunny off the balcony. He shielded his face and looked up, seeing a huge swirling storm cloud over the castle, the cause of the brewing blizzard. “Jack…” Bunny believed the prince was on the roof. “I’m comin’ to getcha.” He started climbing again, this time being a lot harder with the harsh wind. His ears flapped around and he needed to keep his eyes squinted as he dug his claws into the iced walls, climbing higher and higher until he reached the roof. As he stopped for a breather, he looked up at the swirling cloud, watching it get bigger and stretch across the sky, bringing the storm to the city and soon the whole region. He began trekking to where the storm originated from.

“Is that…?” Bunnymund saw two figures from across the roof, figuring it was Pitch and Jack. Bunny cursed this blizzard. He could barely see and his sense of smell was useless in this weather. He could barely hear either with the wind flopping his ears around. He began a sneak attack, ducking and hiding behind towers and struts until he was close enough to see that it was indeed the wizard and prince. Pitch was a tall, thin man with wild black hair, gold eyes and a long face. Jack was struggling in the shadowy binds as Pitch was somehow able to control Jack’s power against his will, wielding his arms around as if interpreting a spell. He took a deep breath and focused on what Pitch was saying.

“My sweet boy, I wish you wouldn’t struggle so much.” The wizard said. “It’s not like the process is hurting you. Maybe psychologically…” He grinned with pointed, crooked teeth. “Don’t worry, I will break your mind in time.” Bunnymund heard enough. He took a boomerang and angled it precisely before throwing it at Pitch’s head. The wizard cursed and fell over while the storm stopped momentarily and Jack was freed from the binds. Bunny hopped out of hiding to catch his trusty rang.

“B-Bunny…” Tears of joy welled up in Jack’s eyes, seeing the Pooka stand before him. “How did you…?”

“I told ya…” Bunny smirked. “Ya can’t get rid of me so easy.” The poor boy was only wearing long pajama pants so he couldn’t help him up. “Can you stand?”

“Y-Yeah.” Jack stood shakily and got behind Bunny.

“Pooka, we meet at last.” Pitch stood as well, studying his opponent. “I see those boomerangs of yours are enchanted. However, you can only neutralize my powers for mere seconds at a time, that is, if you can hit me again.”

“Thanks for the tip, mate.” A few seconds for the rabbit would be more than enough.

“He can vanish into thin air.” Jack explained. “It’ll be hard to hit him again.”

“Just stay back.” Bunny’s fur stood on end and his teeth were bared, his animal side surfacing as he stared down his enemy. This made the boy very excited, too. “The curse is gonna be broken. Tonight.”

“We’ll see.” Pitch formed a scythe in his hands and started his attack, swinging at the rabbit’s head. Bunny easily dodged the slow attack while throwing a rang. Pitch vanished and reappeared behind the Pooka, but now that the storm wasn’t so bad Bunny could use his superior senses to dodge that attack. The two continued this dance while the prince stepped back and watched. He wished he could do something. His powers were too wild, and if he tried to fight Pitch too, he would end up freezing Bunny. He didn’t have his gloves or weapon either, so he couldn’t perform the hand-to-hand combat Bunny taught him. He did not like feeling useless.

“AAAGH!” Bunny was hit by a ball of dark energy, stumbling a little but regaining his stance. Pitch was only teasing him at first, making it seem like all he was going to use was the scythe.

“Tell me, Pooka, what do you have against me? I’m not the one that endangered your family. From what I’ve learned, it was your own fault, was it not?” Pitch scoffed. Bunnymund growled and began a new plan of attack: pouncing, clawing and biting. He could control his temper with the prince, but not with this filth. The Pooka still wasn’t getting anywhere; he never thought someone could be faster than him.

“Bunny, don’t lose it! He’s trying to make you angry!” Jack advised from the sidelines. Bunny pulled out his boomerangs and clashed with the wizard’s scythe.

“I will never lose people I care about again.” Bunny said through gritted teeth. Jack wanted to make sure he heard that correctly.

“Oh, was that a bit of a confession?” Pitch grinned. “It seems you’re more trouble than I thought you’d be. And look at that boy, full of admiration and hope for you…” His shadows crept up behind the Pooka. “What an annoyance. I’m done with you.”

“Bunny, look out!” Jack cried, seeing the shadows grab Bunny’s legs. Bunny couldn’t escape and he was thrown across the rooftop by the dark binds, his body sliding on the ice and off the roof. “NOOOO!” Jack and Pitch saw Bunnymund falling off the roof but didn’t see him latch onto the icy walls of the castle with his claws, escaping coming in contact with the ground so far below. His claws were slipping though, trying to get a good grip before climbing back up.

Jack needs me! Bunny kept thinking to himself as he climbed tiredly but as quickly as he could.

“BUNNY!” Prince Jackson cried again, running to the ledge to see if Bunny could have somehow survived. But he was caught by Pitch’s shadows, and the storm started brewing again.

“I was going to do this slowly for fun, but now I must speed this up.” Pitch summoned a shadowy yet solid and sharp arrowhead, aiming it at Jack’s heart with an imaginary bow. “This arrow will crush your heart instantly, making you my slave.” Bunny finally made it to the ledge, only to find Pitch’s hand was slipping from the bow and the arrow about to fire.

“NO! JACK!” Bunnymund’s body had never moved so fast and without a second thought. No sooner than the arrowhead was released did the warrior Pooka grab the prince and tackled him to the ground, carefully cushioning Jack’s body with his arms so he wouldn’t break against the roof. The two narrowly escaped the dark arrow; however, Jack’s heart was now in more danger than before. “Jack, you alright?” Bunnymund looked down at the wide-eyed boy.

“B-Bunny… what have you done?” Jack’s voice shook, eyes tearing up. Bunny felt a sharp pain in the paw that held the prince’s head, pulling it away to look at it. Ice was spreading from the tips of his claws and slowly crawled up his arm.

Bunny was cursed.

“No… NO!” Jack screamed as the rabbit cursed, rolling over on his back and groaning in pain, his body feeling unbelievably cold it was nearly paralyzing.

“This is a turn of events.” Pitch didn’t seem disappointed.

“Bunny! How could you, you FUCKING IDIOT!” Jack sat up, watching the rabbit shiver in pain. “Why’d you… you knew what would happen!”

“J-Jack…” Bunny weakly smiled up at the beautiful boy. “I love you. That’s why I d-did it. I was… thinking of n-nothing else. M-Maybe I should’ve…” He laughed, his teeth chattering.

“Bunny…” The prince started crying harder, the tears dropping on the Pooka’s face. “I love you, too. So don’t… don’t leave me! I’ll have no one else…”

“S-Stop it, Jack.” Bunny felt the ice cover his right arm, legs, and was now spreading up his torso. “I won’t… technically die, right? E-Every curse can be broken… you need to… find a way…”

“Oh, what a bunch of nonsense.” Pitch was enjoying the show. “You will be sleeping for an eternity.”

“Don’t l-listen to him, mate.” It took Bunny much effort to reach up and grab Jack’s shoulder, pulling him in so their faces were closer to make sure the boy was paying attention. “P-Promise me… you’ll have hope, Jack. Don’t give up… for me.”

“I won’t.” Jack saw the ice creep over the Pooka’s hand. “I won’t! I promise!” 

“G-Good onya.” Bunnymund smiled, the ice crawling up his neck and the back of his head, reaching his ears. “Seal it… with a kiss?”

Jack let out a snicker at the smug face the giant rabbit had on, even before death. He leaned down, sloppily pressing his lips against fuzzy ones, kissing hard to show how much he loved him. The kiss didn’t seem long enough; the furry, warm lips turned to ice. “Bunny?” Jack pulled away, looking over the Pooka’s frozen form. He looked like he was peacefully sleeping, just like Sandy did. The poor teen sobbed once again, hating every second he was left alone. _I guess a kiss won’t break the curse after all_.

“There now, my pet…” Pitch smirked, coming up behind Jack. “Shall we continue our business?” Prince Jackson’s eyes were dark, filled with anger. He stood and turned to face Pitch, not at all feeling scared.

“I refuse to give my kingdom to you.” He said confidently. “I am going to defeat you here!”

“Aren’t you scary?” Pitch asked rhetorically. “You forget that your cursed powers have no effect on me.”

“I don’t care.” Jack balled his fists. “Bunny said the curse will be broken tonight, so it will! His hope and love are with me!” Suddenly, Jack’s heart started pounding and his chest felt warm. He clutched himself, feeling like something was wrong. “What… what are you doing to me?”

“Doing to you… I’ve done nothing.” Pitch was confused by this as well. Jack felt the warmth go through his limbs and his skin glowed bright like the Moon, lighting up the dark and stormy sky. “It can’t be…” The wizard knew what was happening: the ice curse was breaking. He immediately tried to stop it, shooting arrows and his shadows at the boy, but nothing worked. Pitch felt like his powers were wilting and melting under the warmth that he could now feel. The light spread quickly over every inch of the kingdom, melting the ice away and regulating the temperature. Everything that was frozen by Jack was finally free of the curse.

“The sky…” Jack watched as the clouds were washed away and the Sun rose over the hills, the kingdom starting anew. The landscape was green and vegetated, as it’s supposed to be on a late summer day. His skin stopped glowing and he felt normal again. “Bunny…” He remembered his mate beside him. He looked down and watched the ice melt away from the Pooka’s body, his fur drying instantly. Bunny’s emerald eyes shot open and he gasped for breath, still a little chilly from the experience. “Bunny!” Jack smiled wide, kneeling down beside the surprised rabbit. “Oh Moon, I’m so glad…” Jack gasped as Bunny grabbed his hand and held it tightly, watching and waiting to see if the curse was really undone. They were convinced and sighed in relief, the prince curling his fingers in between the rabbit’s.

“How…?” They turned to see a crazed wizard. “HOW could this have HAPPENED?! It is not POSSIBLE!”

“It’s like he doesn’t believe his own eyes.” Jack said casually to Bunny.

“Maybe he’ll believe once I tear them out of his head.” Bunny added.

“Ooo, so cruel.” Jack smirked.

“You fools, the curse might be broken, but I still have my power!” Pitch shot a ball of dark energy at them. Jack reacted, shooting an ice beam and stopping the energy blast in its tracks. Pitch was thoroughly surprised.

“My normal powers are back!” The boy balled up his fists while Bunnymund picked up his boomerangs. “That means they’re not your powers anymore, Pitch.” The wizard became scared and started flying away. Jack chased him through the air while the Pooka climbed down from the castle and followed on foot. After shooting a few ice blasts, the prince finally hit the wizard, freezing his left leg. This brought Pitch closer to the ground and, while he was distracted with the cold pain, the rabbit threw his enchanted boomerang square into Pitch’s jaw and he hurdled to the ground, his powers rendered moot for a few seconds. Jack took the opportunity to fly down and press his hand on Pitch’s chest, beginning to freeze him. “You are the one that’s going to sleep now.” Jack said darkly, surprising Bunny. The boy didn’t usually like to use his powers this way, so the exception must be this evil man. Pitch screamed as his body froze, his face stuck in a frightened expression for eternity. Jack looked at Bunnymund, smiling innocently after what he just did. The rabbit just laughed, hopping over to his new mate and holding his hands gently.

“Ya did it, mate.”

“No…” The prince lightly squeezed the hands that held his, amazed by their warmth. “We did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kayla: So I'm going to just guess that Pitch is finally making his move, it really was like the calm before the storm. On to the questions: 
> 
> 1) Was Pitch feeding off Eustace's fear, or just punishing him for trying to touch 'his' Jack and not getting frozen?  
> 2) Do you like Resident Evil?   
> 3) Have you had Hagen-dazs ice cream before? If not you should _ it's like heaven in a box!  
> 4) What name would you give a car/ truck/ vehicle you like? What about one you don't?  
> 5) If faced with a zombie apocalypse what you do first?  
> a - Follow instructions given by the police or government to stay in your home  
> b - Steal a bus or some other large vehicle. Maybe stock it full of supplies  
> you stole from the mall  
> c - Go to a gun shop and buy all you can, make a deal with the clerk, or just  
> steal everything   
> d - Call your mom and other people you like and band together  
> e - Raid all the stores you want and barricade you self in the mall or  
> something  
> f - Evacuate to who-knows-where without a second thought
> 
> Answer: 2) I’m not too interested in Resident Evil. I’m actually not all that into zombies. I hated the RE movies. 3) Sure, I like Hagen-dazs. 4) I actually have a nickname for my car. It’s a Saturn L-Model and it’s white, so I named it L after the Death Note character. One I don’t like… a lemon? 5) A multiple-choice question, huh? I guess I’d choose ‘c’; I’m not gonna let zombies eat me.
> 
> YokuMiya: Team Edward or Team Jacob? Lol I am serious with  
> that though XD
> 
> Answer: I really do hate Twilight. The movies really suck, but I do think Taylor Lautner is cute and omglookatthoseabs, so, Team Jacob, I suppose. Lol
> 
> MiloAndOtis: OMG you're kind of ripping my heart apart but I love you and this story is so good...Questions! When did Jack first start getting suitors? How old was Bunnymund when he left his tribe? How old is he now? Do Pookas (in this story) age slower than human beings? Are you excited for Halloween? Have you seen The Nightmare Before Christmas? What do you want to do when you grow up? Hotdogs or hamburgers? Favorite season of the year? Skiing or snowboarding? P.S. I'm seriously in love with this story, just so you know.
> 
> Answer: Thank you for all the good questions! Jack started getting suitors at 15, a year after being cursed. Bunny was 18 when he left home, and now he’s 23, five years older than Jack. Pookas in my story don’t age much slower than humans, but they become ‘adults’ at the tender age of eight. I like to think they have Native American or Amish-like traditions. I LOVE Halloween. I’m hosting a party for my friends! I’m actually going to be an ice-cursed fire fairy for Halloween! (got the idea from writing this) What a coincidence, huh? I love Nightmare Before Christmas! I have lots of NBC memorabilia around my house. I am grown up, and still doing nothing lol. That’s what I really wanna do is nothing. Nothing but writing stories, playing video games, making crafts and surfing the internet. If only I could get paid for that. I’m actually a semi-vegetarian so usually neither, but once in a while I sneak a hot dog into my diet (turkey hot dogs are good!) I love winter! It’s easier to get warm than it is to get cool in the summer. Snowboarding; it seems slightly less dangerous than skiing. PS: I’m seriously in love with my readers!


	13. 13

“JACK!” King North called from a distance. They didn’t have to chase Pitch too far, it seemed. Soldiers ran ahead of North to make sure the two heroes were alright. Jack gave the Pooka a reassuring look before running to meet his parents.

“Put this bastard in a freezer.” Bunnymund ordered the guards. “Hurry before he melts.”

“FATHER! MOTHER!” The prince ran to his parents, arms open wide. The king was still slightly concerned about the curse, but he trusted his son and opened his arms as well. Jack did his best to wrap his arms around his father’s big belly, burying his face into that long white beard and crying happily into it. North wrapped his arms around his boy gently, a tear or two escaping his eyes.

“Oh Jack, my little boy Jack!” Queen Toothiana cried, embracing the two most important men in her life.

“Father… Mother…” Jack repeated, smiling so big. Bunny came up to them, smiling as well. This is how a family should look.

“How did you two break the curse?” The king asked. Jack pulled away and went to his rabbit, embracing him next.

“The legend is true, Father.” The prince stared into Bunny’s eyes. “A kiss of true love breaks any curse.” With that, everyone gasped and started whispering amongst themselves. North’s jaw practically unhinged at the news. The only one who wasn’t surprised was Toothiana, who merely giggled in delight. “I love Bunny so much.”

“I love you too, Jack.” Bunnymund smiled at his mate before making eye contact with the king. “Though the curse is broken, I’ll still take care of him, now and always.” Jack nodded and pressed his cheek against the furry chest. North needed a moment to absorb all of this. His wife nudged him, breaking him from his daze.

“Ahem… v-very well, I suppose I have no choice.” The king went up to Bunny and patted him on the shoulder, harder than he did last time. “Bunnymund, I will grant you knighthood and the title of the prince’s escort. It is a permanent job, you understand? Should you ever leave my son’s side, you will suffer consequences.”

 _What a strange way to be accepted, but I’ll take it._ The Pooka thought before saying, “Yes, your highness” and bowing.

“Klasno!” North smiled for the first time since the rabbit knew him and patted his shoulders again. They heard tinkling from the balcony and looked up, seeing Sandy and the others who were cursed looking down at everyone with smiles on their faces.

“Sandy!” Jack waved, and The Sandman waved back. He looked to Bunnymund and saluted him.

“Yes! Time for celebrating!” The king announced, and everyone cheered. Bunny and Jack looked lovingly at each other before sharing a warm kiss.

:::

“Shit, my uniforms get more embarrassing.” Bunnymund looked in the mirror at himself, not happy with his coronation outfit. It was a sleeveless long green jacket with chains across the open-chest front. He still wore his wrist gauntlets and bandolier, though. He left his room to trek to Jack’s. “Oi, Jack, it’s me.”

“Come in, I’m actually ready.” Jack said. As the Pooka entered the room, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The prince looked stunning. He wore a white tunic under a blue corset and simple tight brown pants. He was shoeless and the tunic exposed some neck, chest and forearms. It wasn’t much, but it was still more skin than what his curse-clothes would allow. The boy was now able to carry his bejeweled hook staff as a royal scepter and could wear his diamond-encrusted crown. “What?” Jack saw the rabbit staring and blushed.

“Huh? Uh, well…” Bunny’s ears drooped and cleared his throat. “Where are your shoes, mate?” He scolded half-heartedly. Jack giggled.

“I hate wearing shoes.” The prince answered. “We have that in common!”

“Struth.” Bunny grinned, coming up to his mate. “You look great, Jack.” He nuzzled Jack’s hair and wrapped his arms around him.

“Heh-heh, you’re tickling me.” Jack snickered.

“Sor…”

“Don’t be sorry, stupid.” He wrapped his arms around the Pooka. “I’m so glad the curse is broken.” He also nuzzled his face into the furry chest. “So soft, just like I thought.” Bunnymund let his ears drop again.

“And your skin is cool, mate.” Bunny said, touching his nose to Jack’s neck.

“Does that bother you?”

“Nah, you cool me down, love.” He buried his face into that lovely neck.

“And I… like your warmth… ah…!” Jack shivered when he felt hot breath on his neck. “I’m still so sensitive to touch…” Bunny just laughed at him.

“Hopefully you never get used to my touch.” Bunny said in that deep voice. He kissed Jack sweetly, dipping his tongue in his mouth…

“Your Highness, it’s time for the accolade!” A servant yelled from behind the door.

“Goddammit.” Bunny grumbled. It was Jack’s turn to laugh.

:::

Bunnymund and Jack entered the throne room that was filled with the most important people in the kingdom: advisors, soldiers, priests and noblemen. The king and queen stood in front of their thrones, smiling at the two. Sandy stood over to the side, nodding at them. “You’d think we were getting married today, or something.” Bunny felt nervous.

“Oh no, this is way too small for a wedding.” Jack stuck out his tongue while the Pooka gulped. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing’s really changing. You’re just getting a medal.”

“You’re wrong there, mate.” Bunny looked at him. “Everything’s changed in these past weeks. This is just… making it official.” Jack could agree with that. They walked in side by side, everyone watching them. To Bunnymund’s surprise, they were happily smiling at them. Jack went to stand beside his father while Bunny went to stand beside Sandy.

“Today we celebrate the rebirth of our kingdom.” North began a speech. “Today we celebrate the end of the evil wizard, and the safety of my son and my dear subjects. We celebrate a heroic Pooka, who has given my son joy, hope, and love.” The rabbit pressed his ears to his head. “But most of all, we celebrate the little things: hugging your child, being healthy, and the kindness of others.” Everyone applauded. North motioned for Bunny to stand in front of him. “Please kneel.” Bunnymund did as he was told. “For protecting my son and helping to save the kingdom, you shall now be knighted.” North unsheathed his sword. “E. Aster Bunnymund, do you swear to protect my son, Prince Jackson Overland, for the rest of your days, not just his body but his heart as well?”

“I swear.” Bunny said without hesitation, smiling at Jack before bowing his head.

“I hereby dub thee Sir E. Aster Bunnymund, Guardian of the Prince.” The king touched the Pooka’s shoulders with his sword. “Please rise.” Bunny stood. North put a gold medal on Bunny’s jacket. “Thank you, friend.” He winked at the rabbit, holding out his hand. Bunny gladly shook it. “Now then,” North addressed the crowd. “Let’s party! Bring out food and drink! Play music! Dance merrily!” Everyone cheered.

:::

The celebration was underway, and everybody was happy that their kingdom was saved and they could live normally again. People came up to the prince and Pooka, congratulating and thanking them. The constant attention finally stopped and Bunny and Jack went to go sit at a table to rest. “Struth, I don’t think I like all the attention.”

“You didn’t have any problem with it at the arena.” Jack sipped a lemony drink with a smirk. Bunny rolled his eyes, happening to then fix on King North, who was dancing the Hopak. Toothiana danced in the air around him.

“I’ve never seen your father so happy.” The Pooka was surprised a big man could dance like that.

“It’s been awhile.” Jack smiled. “Because of the changing climate, crops and trade were diminished. The kingdom needed to save money, so Father had to stop making toys for the children. But now that everything’s back to normal, he can start doing it again.”

“You’re not blaming yourself again, are you mate?”

“No, I’m over it now.” The prince said with confidence. “It’s finally over.”

“Good onya, love.” Bunny took the boy’s hands in his, pulling him in for a loving kiss.

“Hey…” Jack said against fuzzy lips. “How about we ditch the party?”

“Why didn’t you say that two hours ago?” Bunny snickered.

:::

The couple went to the prince’s now ice-free room. The painting of the winter jasmines hung on the wall. Jack placed his staff and crown to the side and undid his corset. “You know this is your room now, too?”

“Moving me in, huh?” Bunny watched the boy sensually take off the corset and tunic. He took off his own stupid clothes.

“Ah, the bed is finally comfortable!” Jack dove onto the soft mattress, rubbing his head in the pillow. The rabbit laughed at him. He turned around and sat up, resting his back on the headboard. He gestured with his head for Bunnymund to come to his side.

“We don’t have to rush anything, you know.” Bunny felt his legs moving anyway. He sat on the edge of the bed.

“I know, but…” Jack sat up to embrace the warm body. “I really want you.”

“I want you, too, Jack.” The Pooka delicately kissed lovely pink lips. “You’re shaking.” He whispered, smoothing his paws up the kid’s quivering body.

“Well, I am nervous. It is my first time and I’m still getting used to…” Jack was silenced by hot lips pressing on the crook of his neck. The kisses journeyed up the elegant neck and to the sensitive spot behind the ear, gently biting. “Oh, Moon…” Jack was laid on the bed, already panting from excitement. His blue eyes glittered as the sunset came through the window.

“Crikey… you’re gorgeous.” Bunnymund settled between Jack’s legs and leaned down to kiss him deeply. His paws carefully touched the boy everywhere, making a map of the fragile body in his mind. From taught arms to his lithe back and down the slight curve of his hips, every inch of skin was flawless. The pants were in the way of the rest of his exploration, and he slid them off to expose Jack’s legs, ass and swelling erection. Green eyes scanned up and down the beautiful body hungrily.

“Bunny, I… have something to tell you.” Jack said through swollen lips. “Three mornings ago, when you wondered what was wrong with me… I had a dream about you – us – just like this. When I woke up, I was hard, and I…” He blushed.

“Did you… pleasure yourself, mate?” Bunnymund couldn’t help but grin. “Thinking about me?”

“Uh-huh.” Jack smiled guiltily. “That’s why I was acting weird.”

“That’s why I acted weird the other day. I dreamt about you, too.” The rabbit said. “How about that?”

“Yeah.” Jack threaded his fingers through soft chest fur. “I love you.”

“And I love you, Jack.” Bunny continued where he left off, leaving fiery trails over cool skin with his paws and kissing that beautiful chest. His tongue slid along the boy’s nipple.

“Ah! Oh…” The prince shrieked, never feeling such heat. The rabbit bit, sucked, and licked Jack’s nipples, getting turned on by those cute little squeals. He felt is own erection popping out from under his fur. Bunny went lower, drawing a line with his tongue down Jack’s stomach and slowly to the throbbing erection. It looked like he was going to explode already. Nevertheless, the rabbit slipped the length into his mouth, much to Jack’s surprise. “AAAHH! Ah… ooo… so hot…” Jack couldn’t stop saying embarrassing things as he came in Bunnymund’s mouth. The Pooka swallowed it all and licked his lips.

“You really are sensitive.” Bunny snickered. “But I hope you don’t ever get used to my touch.”

“Bunny…” Jack whimpered and tried catching his breath. Bunny’s sexy voice was making him excited all over again.

“We can stop there, if you want.” The Pooka was still worried. The boy reached up and grabbed a handful of fur, pulling it.

“If you stop, I’ll never forgive you.” Jack huffed. Bunny laughed again.

“No worries, love.” He leaned down to kiss him again. “We’ll need some lube though.”

“Maybe… something in the drawer…” The prince said between kisses. The rabbit reached over and opened the drawer, finding some skin lotion. Bunny squirted some on his fingers and rubbed them softly on Jack’s hole. “Oh god…!” The boy squirmed around, spreading his legs further apart.

“Have you touched yourself here, Jack, after you dreamt of me?” Bunny’s voice was raspy as he looked down at the lovely teen before him. Jack nodded, unable to speak actual words. The rabbit pressed a finger inside the relaxed entrance. “I know Pitch has haunted your dreams, but he never actually…”

“No!” The prince looked Bunny in the eyes. “Just in my dreams…”

“Thank goodness.” Bunnymund was glad Jack was never truly touched by that man. He leaned down, kissing over Jack’s rapidly beating heart while he inserted another finger, gently moving them in and out and twisting them. The prince shivered and squeezed the rabbit’s fingers, a sign that he was ready. “I’m… going to enter you now, love…” Bunny took the lube and rubbed it on himself, hoping he wouldn’t lose it before entering his mate.

“Holy hell…” Jack watched Bunnymund prepare himself, turned on by the sight, but also a little scared. “How is that going to fit inside me?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” The Pooka smirked darkly. He smoothed his paw around the teen’s beautiful face. “Don’t worry; I’m gonna take it easy. Just relax.” He rubbed the tip of his cock over the pink opening, asking for entry. Jack relaxed as much as he could, and before he knew it the thick head of that cock was inside him. He screamed silently and tightened up, grabbing furry shoulders for comfort, tears coming to his eyes. “Jack…” Bunny leaned down to kiss and nip at any skin he could find, distracting Jack from the pain. He was also trying to distract himself from wanting to just plow inside the tight, virginal opening.

“B-Bunny…” Jack whispered. “Keep… going…” Bunny graciously obliged, pushing in a little further until he met more resistance. 

“You’re doing… really good… Jack…” Bunny praised him, and it was true; he thought the boy might want to stop, or at least go even slower. Jack must like a little bit of pain. He pulled back a little and thrust in deeper, getting the prince used to having something so large inside him. He continued this pattern until he was all the way inside the gorgeous body. “Fuck…”

“H-Hot…” Jack felt so hot; it was like the sun was inside of him. But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt so good that it hurt. He let more tears stream down his face, but he smiled happily. Everything was perfect for the moment. Bunnymund started thrusting in and out slowly, making sure they felt every inch of each other. “Oh Moon… Bunny… feels so good…!”

“My love… my beautiful love…” Bunny purred, kissing and touching that body everywhere, worshipping his prince. Jack in turn ran his fingers across the Pooka’s strong back, lightly scratching the skin. The rabbit growled deeply in Jack’s neck, speeding up his thrusting.

“Uuungh… yes…” Jack wrapped his legs around Bunny’s waist, pulling himself closer and making the thrusts deeper.

“Shit… nnnngh…” Bunny felt the boy lovingly squeeze around his cock, rewarding that by changing his angle and looking for that sweet spot. He knew he found it when the kid arched his back and let out a scream only dogs (and he) could hear. He put his paws around the small of the prince’s back and hoisted him up so he could drive into him deeper and faster, hitting that spot in Jack every time.

“AAAH! YES! FUCK ME, BUNNY!” Jack screamed, holding onto his mate for dear life. “I love you! I love you so much!”

“I love you too, Jack.” Bunny grunted, sucking on Jack’s shoulder, leaving bruises. “Come for me.” They cried and screamed each other’s names as they came at the same time. Bunny’s seed was so warm and it streaked down between his legs as the rabbit pulled out slowly and collapsed next to his mate, the two of them panting for breath.

“That was… the best, Bunny…” Jack wiped the sweat from his brow.

“It sure was…” The rabbit curled around the boy, pulling him in close. “And just imagine… the next times will be even better.” He rubbed his chin on top of Jack’s head.

“What’re you doing?” Jack asked.

“Marking you with my scent, love.” Bunny explained. “That way no one will ever take you away from me.”

“I like the sound of that.” Jack was happy to be claimed by the Pooka. After all, Bunny was claimed by him hours ago when he agreed to be the prince’s knight. “We belong to each other.” He buried his face in the furry chest.

“That’s right, mate.” Bunny whispered, kissing the boy’s temple. “Together always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YokuMiya: K. One. Awesome chapter. Two. Can't wait for more. Three. If you could marry any of The Avengers (the ones from Marvel comics not the ones that want revenge for family etc) which one would you marry and why?
> 
> Answer: Mmm… Thor. I can only imagine the beautiful Chris Hemsworth’s face, though.
> 
> Kayla: So, now that everyone and everything is unfrozen how will Jack's parents, or even the palace employees, react? Is Bunny going to be a little overly-conscious about Jack's few articles of clothing? Do you have any good ideas for more rotg fics?
> 
> Answer: I think Bunny’s gonna enjoy Jack’s clothing style very much; it’ll be easier to take them off ;) I really don’t have any more ideas for a JackRabbit fic. I’m sad; I feel like it’s all been done. I don’t want this ship to sink! -_-
> 
> AfricanBlossom: (edited a bit) Ok questions why do you think skiing is more dangerous than snowboarding? I ski and I'm crazily scared of trying to snowboard. Would you like to have an app that scans your face for pimples and tells you what creams would be most effective on your pimples? What's your favorite holiday, It's not even Halloween yet and I'm singing Christmas songs while cooking gingerbread cookies? And since you only want to be a writer what kinds of stories would write? Because writing stories with characters from movies and books is cool but when you’re writing your own other people will write fanfictions about your stories. Whoops sorry for chattering it's a habit! And pitch? Really? No lame comeback or the usual I'll be back threat? Finally a story without that sad excuse for a chiller. Again sorry for talking so much. BB
> 
> Answer: I edited your long reply but I really do appreciate the chatter! Any praise puts me higher on the pedestal. When I think of the physics of skiing and snowboarding and how a person would fall and hurt themselves, skiing looks more dangerous, like your legs could get all tangled whereas with snowboarding it’s less likely to happen. I would love to have an app like that, as I’ve suffered with acne since the age of 9. Halloween and Christmas are my faves cuz of all the goodies! I do write original stories, but I have a bad habit of not finishing them. I write stories about gay men only, cuz it’s hot. Regular boy/girl romance bores me!
> 
> MiloAndOtis: The beginning was amazing, the story was a bit fast but the chapter was MAGICAL and I guess that's all that really counts. Only two more chapters? :/ Are you planning any more stories after this one? Or are you just gonna wait for inspiration? Do you have tumblr? Countryside or City? Oh and question about curse, what about when Jack cried? Did the tears freeze on his face? Favorite Drink? I do both Snowboarding and skiing, in my opinion it is easier to learn snowboarding but it hurts more when you fall while skiing is harder to learn but you fall less. How does one became a wizard? Who's one of your favorite characters (movie or/and book)? Any books you could recommend me? (I like fairytales, fantasy, adventure with maybe a bit of romance) andddddd (my favorite question) How's life?
> 
> Answer: I’ve been getting a few comments saying it was rushed, and I humbly agree. I don’t like/am not good at writing fight scenes, so I just try to get them over with. *Waiting for inspiration* I have a tumblr but have no idea how to use it. Username’s fieryhotaru. Countryside cuz I hate noise and people. When Jack cries or sweats it’s cold but not frozen. Gatorade. Do you mean, how does one become a wizard in the story or in general, cuz I know the answer to both! In the story, the person is simply born with the powers and learns how to use them. In real life, it’s the same thing lol. I love the characters in One Piece; they’re so well-rounded, even the minor characters. It’s funny, I write but I don’t read (I have ADD while reading). I can read manga, cuz there’re pretty pictures as well! For manga, I suggest One Piece, Bleach, Fushigi Yuugi, and my favorite yaois Junjou Romantica and Crimson Spell. Life’s hanging in there, how about you?


	14. 14

Months passed after the curse was broken and Pitch was imprisoned. Santoff Claussen was thriving again. Crops were growing, animals were populating the land, and visitors would come for trade. Things were back to normal at the palace, too. King North became jolly again and began planning for next year’s Christmas. Queen Toothiana continued her health campaign and made sure everyone brushed their teeth. Prince Jackson just had a successful winter with the kids and they all learned to have fun in the snow again.

And Bunnymund… he was just happy to be by his soul mate’s side. He continued to train Jack and a few other soldiers. He continued to paint pictures and show them to his prince. He helped Jack with his winter activities (catching a cold at one point) and protected the boy from any scum that would try to steal Jack for themselves. Jack was all the Pooka needed.

“We have a message from the Pookan tribe leader, your highnesses.” An ambassador addressed the royal family in the throne room. “They refuse any service from the kingdom until Sir Bunnymund comes to see them immediately.” If Bunny was drinking water at that moment, he’d have had a spit-take.

“They didn’t sign the bill?” North asked. “The law can’t be passed without their agreement and understanding.”

“They will not sign it, your highness.” The ambassador shrugged.

“How… how do they know I’m here?” Bunnymund cleared his throat. “I asked for my involvement in this to be anonymous.”

“Maybe they heard one of the soldiers talking… or maybe they just knew. They are quite intelligent.”

“Not intelligent enough to sign the damn bill.” Bunny grumbled.

“So what’s the big deal?” Jack looked up at the Pooka. “Just go see them and they’ll sign it.” Bunny didn’t reply; he just looked guilty and conflicted. Jack sighed. “Get a caravan ready for Bunny and myself. We’re leaving tomorrow morning for the Warren.”

“Jack!” Bunny whisper-shouted. The king and queen agreed with their son and ordered everyone to get ready. The couple stared at each other until they found some privacy.

:::

“Jack, what the hell?!” Bunnymund shouted as they entered their bedroom. “Why would you decide that without my permission?”

“You were never going to decide, so I had to do it for you!” Jack started packing some simple clothes for the trip. “I _am_ a prince, after all.”

“Don’t you start acting like that, boy.” Bunny growled. “You know I don’t want to…”

“And why not?” Jack went up to him. “Didn’t we agree not to blame ourselves for things that aren’t our fault? You taught me that!”

“It was different for you.” Bunny retorted. “Everything that Pitch has done has been erased! But I can’t bring my brothers and sisters back to life! There is no curse to be broken!” They stood in silence for a bit. “I’m sorry, mate. I didn’t mean that.”

“No, you’re right.” The boy said calmly. “For you it’s different. But it doesn’t change the fact that what happened wasn’t your fault. You did everything you could. I sure as hell didn’t do anything about the curse except sit here and mope. The waiting paid off, though…” He nudged Bunny’s shoulder, and the rabbit laughed a little. “Your family doesn’t hate you. You know that.”

“But after so many years of being absent?” Bunny’s ears drooped. “I think they’d be pretty upset.”

“Upset? Yes. Hateful? No.” Jack hugged his mate. “C’mon, stop worrying. I’ll be with you.”

“Alright, mate.” Bunny embraced Jack too. “You sure are wise for your age.”

“Now you notice?” Jack and Bunny laughed before leaning in to kiss each other lovingly.

“How ‘bout one final romp in the hay before we leave?” Bunnymund sucked on the prince’s bottom lip.

“Yes, please.” Jack sighed sweetly. They heard a knock on the door and groaned in annoyance. “It’s the servants to pack our stuff.” Jack went to go let them in. “Make it quick, Bunny and I have business to take care of.” The boy and the Pooka smirked at each other.

:::

The trip to the Warren was going to be a long one. Before they left, the king and queen wished them good luck and safety. The trip was safe as they didn’t run into any evil spirits or wizards along the way. They had plenty of food and a huge carriage that the two lovebirds could sleep in together. No one got sick or injured along the way, either.

About halfway there, the caravan came to a bumpy road that would take them further into the wilds. The prince should have been enjoying the bumps as if it were some kind of carnival ride, but Bunnymund noticed the boy was silent, staring into space. “Oi, mate, you with me?” Bunny asked, snapping his fingers in Jack’s face. “Jack?”

“Hm… oh, what?” Jack snapped out of it.

“What’s wrong with ya?” The rabbit rubbed Jack’s knee.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” The kid turned to look out the window, trying to hide his worried face. Bunny didn’t buy it for an instant.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, just tired.” Jack kept looking out the window. The Pooka huffed and pressed his large body closer to the prince’s, trapping him in the corner of the carriage. “Bunny, what…!” Jack was startled by warm paws reaching around him and trapping him further, one paw going up his shirt while the other went down his pants. “The hell are you doing?!”

“Tell me the truth, mate, or I’m gonna make you scream so loud everyone will come to look.” Bunnymund grunted in Jack’s ear, rubbing the prince’s chest. Jack’s eyes widened.

“Okay, okay, jeez!” The boy pushed him away. “It’s no big deal, really. I was… thinking about all the bad things I said about you and your family… when I accused you of only caring about them and not me…” Bunny had actually almost forgotten about that. “I had no right to say or even think that. I mean, of course you would think of your family first. I was jealous and dumb, and I’m sorry.” It took the rabbit awhile to absorb that.

“I had no idea you were keeping that in, Jack.” Bunny pressed his nose to Jack’s temple. “’Course I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. But now you’re also my family, so you are equally as important.”

“Aw, Bunny, you’re such a sap.” Jack tried to cool the blush coming up his cheeks.

“You started it, love.” Bunny kissed Jack’s cheek, seeing the blush anyway.

“Yeah, but you started something else.” The boy turned his head to catch furry lips with his own. “I kinda wanna do it in the carriage, now.”

“See? You’re still sensitive to my touch.” They kissed deeper, tongues exploring each other’s mouths hotly. “C’mere.” Bunny put Jack on his lap. “I’ll take care of everything, my love.” The Pooka reached around and unbuttoned Jack’s pants, nudging them down a little so that the teen’s half-erection popped out. Jack moaned as a paw started sliding up and down his dick while the other nudged at his entrance.

“Nnngh…” Jack bit his lip, his head rolling back to rest on Bunnymund’s shoulder and arching his chest forward. Bunny gladly sucked on the neck offered to him, pressing his finger inside the warming body. His other paw worked Jack’s penis, spreading the pre-cum over the tip. “Ooo, fuck… it’s too much…” Jack squealed, his body overwhelmed by all the stimulation. Bunny snickered deeply against sensitive flesh as he pushed another digit into the boy, twisting them around. Jack moaned again and reached behind to grab the bases of the rabbit’s ears, tugging and scratching them.

“Aaaah… goddammit, Jack!” Bunnymund, like any animal, loved his ears to be scratched. He bit the prince’s shoulder and jerked him off faster. Jack started gasping for air, impaling himself on Bunny’s fingers.

“Ah! Oh, Moon, Bunny!” Jack came over Bunny’s hand and across the opposite seat in the carriage. He relaxed against the Pooka’s chest, feeling the fingers leave his body. With the paw out of the way, he could feel something large and hot growing under him.

“Here, mate, lean over the seat.” Bunnymund helped Jack get up. The boy stood up and widened his stance, leaning down to put his hands on the opposite seat. Bunny stared, getting an amazing view.

“Like this?” Jack dared to ask.

“Yeah, just like that.” Bunny took some of the prince’s semen and put it on his fingers. He thrust his lubed-up digits into Jack’s hole again, wanting to make sure he was ready.

“Come on, Bunny…” Jack whined, his cock coming back to life. “I want you to fuck me!”

“If you insist.” Bunny didn’t argue. He stood, too, putting a hand on the wall to balance himself while lining himself up at the boy’s entrance with the other. He slowly pushed the head inside and it popped right in without resistance. Jack was still tight, though, and he let out a low grunt as he thrust further inside.

“Bunny… oh god…!” Jack spread his legs more, wanting that huge cock to slide in easier. Suddenly, the carriage came to another bump in the road, causing Bunny to lose his balance and jut forward, his whole cock buried inside that small body. “AAAAHH!” The kid screamed, tears coming to his eyes. It was a little rough without lube.

“Jack! I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Bunny was about to pull out, but Jack reached around and grabbed a tuft of fur on his hip, stopping him.

“No, I’m fine…” Jack moaned. Bunny sighed, almost forgetting how strong Jack was; he had a high tolerance for pain. “It was… a surprise is all…” The Pooka responded by running his paws up the prince’s shirt and rubbing his already hard nipples while beginning to thrust slowly. Jack sighed and moaned beautifully with each thrust, feeling so complete with Bunnymund inside him. Bunny was so aroused by that sweet voice. He extracted his claws and gently raked them down the boy’s back, making him moan louder. “Bunny… mmmm…” The Pooka picked up one of Jack’s legs and changed his angle, finally finding the sweet spot inside the teen. “BUNNY! Fuck, right there… fuck me right there…”

“Jack… you’re just a sexy little root rat, aren’t ya?” Bunnymund thrust upwards faster and harder, just like an animal. The prince shivered, squeezing around Bunny’s cock whenever his prostate was hit. “Fuck, you’ve gotten so good at this. Keep squeezing me like that.”

“Oooo… Bunny, I love you!” The beautiful boy looked over his shoulder into fiery green eyes, giving off a sexy aura that Bunny couldn’t take.

“I love you too, Jack.” Bunny moved faster and faster. They looked in each other’s eyes until they both released hard, the orgasm lasting a long time. The Pooka gently rested Jack on the seat opposite him before sitting down to rest himself.

“Nobody came to watch.” Jack snickered weakly, still catching his breath.

“I’m surprised.” Bunny casually looked outside. “You were so loud.”

“Guess they figured… what we were doing…” Jack reached into his pocket for a handkerchief so he could clean himself.

“Oh no, mate, allow me.” Bunny offered, taking the kerchief and proceeded to clean the boy up.

“Such a gentleman.” Jack rested on his elbows. “I noticed I haven’t been getting as many creepy and perverted stares from others as I used to. You scared them all away.”

“Cuz no one will mess with me, love.” Bunny leaned forward to kiss him on the head. “And cuz I put my scent on you. Which reminds me…” He finished cleaning and threw the dirty handkerchief out the window. “Don’t be offended when my tribe doesn’t come up to shake your hand. It is a rule to stay a good distance from a marked lover, and breaking it results in a fight.”

“Really?” Jack pulled his pants up and sat up as best he could. “What other traditions should I be aware of?”

“Well…” Bunny thought for a moment. “Children don’t have to worry about that marking rule… other than that I don’t see anything that would cause you trouble.”

“What about us being together?” Jack asked seriously. Bunny looked at him, realizing what he meant. They were both male and two different species; it was going to be a shocker that the teen has the Pooka’s scent on him. “Does that break any rule?”

“If it did, I wouldn’t give a damn.” Bunnymund smiled his crooked smile. “I love you. Nothing will change that.”

“Same here.” The prince blushed.

:::

They finally arrived outside the Warren enclosure. Bunnymund and Jack could see Pookas of all ages coming up to see who was in the carriage. “Aw, the babies are so cute!” Jack said, peering out the window. Bunny took a deep breath, seeing some of his immediate family coming up to the fence, but not his mother. “You ready?” Jack nudged his lover.

“I was supposed to ask you that.” Bunny said. He stepped out of the carriage first and helped the prince out next. They went through the gate but Jack stepped off to the side, letting Bunny greet his family alone. All the Pookas whispered about him, pointing to the knighthood medal on his bandolier as he walked up to them. A long, tall Pooka with different flower markings than Bunnymund’s came up first, looking at him sternly but not angrily.

“Aster.” The tall Pooka confirmed out loud with the same accent.

“Bergamot.” Bunny replied, holding his hand out. “Brother.”

“Been a long time.” Bergamot took the hand offered to him, the two doing a secret handshake of some sort. Jack couldn’t help but smile. Everyone looked the other way now, watching an elderly Pooka walk up to Bunny. She smiled fondly at him.

“M-Mother…” Bunnymund cleared his throat, feeling nervous. “I came at your request, Mother…” He stopped when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I missed you, my dear son.” She whispered. “Welcome home.” Bunnymund couldn’t hold it anymore. He put his arms around his mother and cried in her shoulder, the sound muffled but his shoulders bounced as he gasped for air. Jack started crying too, remembering how good it felt to hug his mother after four years of being cursed. Bunny sniffled a bit before he stopped crying, looking over everyone in salutation. A small Pooka about the height of The Sandman came up to Bunny and embraced his leg.

“I missed you, big brother.” She said in a sweet voice.

“I missed ya too, Violet. Look how big you got.” He patted her head. She looked up at him with the biggest pair of purple eyes and an adorable smile. Bunny turned to Jack, gesturing him to come over. “Mother, this is Prince Jackson.”

“Oh, the prince!” The Pookas bowed immediately.

“Please, there’s no need for that.” Jack was shy. “It’s nice to meet all of you, ma’am.” He nodded politely to Bunny’s mother.

“The pleasure is mine, your highness.” His mother smiled. “I’m Dahlia, the tribe chief. This is my second oldest, Bergamot, and my youngest, Violet. Please make yourself at home.”

“His scent…” Bergamot muttered, sniffing the air around Jack. “He’s…”

“My mate.” Bunny finished his sentence, putting an arm around the boy. As expected, everyone started whispering to themselves.

“I see.” Dahlia nodded. “Then please, take care of my son, Prince Jackson.”

“I will.” The teen hugged Bunny back.

“So you’re my big brother’s bride?” Violet innocently asked. Jack squatted down to be eye level with her.

“In a way.” He replied. Bunnymund kept a laugh in.

“You’re so pretty.” Violet put her tiny paws on Jack’s face. Bunny let out another snort of laughter.

“Not as pretty as you.” Jack smiled, knowing exactly what to say. Violet giggled, her ears pressing to her head.

“Is it true that you make winter?” She asked.

“Winter comes whether I tell it to or not, but I can make snow and ice. Wanna see?”

“Can I?” Her eyes were big and curious. Jack looked up at Bunny, silently asking if it was okay. When the Pooka nodded, he turned back to Violet, opened his hand and created a tiny, icy snowman to sit on his palm. Violet squealed in excitement.

“Here, before it melts.” The boy gave it to her. “Sorry, it’s a little cold.”

“’S okay.” Violet turned to her friends, inviting them over to see the snowman. The adults smiled to each other.

“If you don’t mind, your highness, I’d like to speak to my son in private.” Dahlia said. “Would you entertain the children in the meantime?”

“No problem, ma’am.” Jack grinned, winking at Bunnymund. “Here kids, let’s make a real snowman!”

“Don’t go too crazy with the snow, mate.” Bunny warned him.

“I won’t.” The teen shook his head, remembering this was a place of spring.

“Come with me.” Dahlia and Bunny headed to a small hut behind some trees. They entered and Bunny kneeled on the ground across from his mother’s wooden throne. Bunnymund got nervous again and started smoothing his paws over his thighs. “You’re not in trouble, ya silly whacker.” Dahlia sat down in her throne. “Stop fidgeting.”

“Mother…” Bunnymund looked at her. “How did you know I was at the palace?”

“Who else would have ordered for our protection?” She laughed, thinking it was so obvious. “Certainly not the king of his own freewill.”

“He is a good man.” Bunny clarified.

“I’m not blaming anyone, dear.” Dahlia shook her head, not meaning to insult anyone. “I’m thankful for all the help we received.”

“Then why won’t you sign the bill?”

“Of course I’ll sign the bill.” Dahlia leaned down. “I simply wanted you to stop hiding from us. I wanted to see you. I don’t want you to feel ashamed anymore. You never should have.”

“M-Mother…” Bunnymund’s ears drooped. “Even after not coming home for almost five years?”

“Aster…” His mother moved to her knees to be face-to-face with her son. “Nothing that happened that day was your fault. You said you’d leave to become stronger, to make me proud. Well guess what? I was already proud. And look at you now; a hero, a knight…” She pointed to the medal. “And that sweet boy outside is your mate… I’m the proudest mother in the land.”

“Ah, mum, you’re gonna make me cry again.” Bunny smiled sheepishly. “You know about what happened?”

“A couple months ago, I heard about an evil wizard being defeated by the prince and ‘the Pooka’ from some soldiers.” She explained. “That made it official. Who else would get lucky enough to fight a wizard?” They laughed.

“Oh, you got me!” Bunny heard Jack say outside. He peeked out the door, seeing the children pelting the prince with snowballs. He smiled.

“He makes you happy, yeah?” His mother asked.

“So happy.” Bunnymund turned to her once more. “Mother, I can’t stay here. This is just a…”

“I know, sweetheart.” She stood up. “I understand.” She scratched his chin.

“Thanks.” He said, standing to head outside to meet Jack. He watched him for awhile as he played with the kids. _He’s good with children._

“Bunny, do something!” Jack mock-panicked, running away from snowballs.

“I can’t save ya now, love, it’s too late!” Bunnymund played along. The prince ran behind him, shielding himself.

“Big meanie.” Jack said in Bunny’s back. The Pooka laughed again.

“Oi, Aster.” Bergamot came up to them. “How ‘bout we have a row, just like the good old days?”

“You took record time in asking, Mottie.” Bunny grinned.

“You guys fighting, or something?” Jack looked between them.

“Aye, love. Watch me turn him into the world’s ugliest totem pole.” Bunnymund took out his boomerangs while Bergamot did the same.

“I haven’t just grown taller, ya gumbies.” Bergamot smirked. “Alright kids, clear the field. The adults are playing now.” The two brothers took to the field. Their mother came out of the hut and stood next to Jack as the duel between brothers began.

“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked rhetorically.

“Nah, this is how they express their love for each other.” Dahlia answered anyway.

“So, Bunny’s the oldest, right?” The boy kept his eyes on the fight, which Bunnymund was obviously winning. “And you’re the tribe chief, so that makes him a prince, huh?”

“Actually, he’s supposed to be the chief after his father died.” Dahlia explained. Jack’s heart dropped to his stomach; he felt guilty and selfish keeping Bunny with him, practically forcing him to stay by his side since day one. “Your highness, he’s made it very clear to me that he won’t leave you, and I’m fine with that.”

“Really?” Jack couldn’t help but smile. “But sometimes, I feel like he’s missing something, you know? And I thought maybe coming here might do the trick.” This is why the prince forced Bunny (again) to come see his family. Whenever Jack was with him, Bunnymund never showed these signs. But whenever there was a time when they weren’t together, like if Jack was studying and he was training with other soldiers, Jack would peek around the corner to check on him every now and then and saw this emptiness in his emerald eyes. It hurt to see his lover with that expression, but if he asked about it Bunny would just brush it off.

The prince saw this look more often when he would come back to the rabbit’s side after spreading joy and fun to the kids in the city during winter. Bunny would go with him during these days even though he hated the cold and snow, but he would lie and say he was having fun anyway ‘just being with his mate.’ He knew Bunny’s job was to protect Jack, but the teen really doesn’t need a babysitter, especially while just playing in the snow with other kids. He felt like Bunny needed something other than him to occupy his time.

“I never had the courage to ask Bunny this, but… how did his father die?” Jack changed the subject.

“A human shot him and… took his body to be used as a trophy.” Dahlia shuttered.

“Dear Moon…” Jack choked. “I’m so sorry. I only wish my family knew about this sooner; this law could have been passed years ago…”

“Please don’t blame yourself for that. There’s a law now, and I am so grateful. I’m also grateful for the care of my son.” They looked at each other and smiled. They heard cheering from the kids and turned to see Bunny standing on top of his younger brother victoriously. He winked at his mate.

“Show-off.” Jack smirked and Dahlia laughed. Bunny helped Bergamot up and the children crowded around the brothers, excited by the fight. After a few minutes of glory, Bunnymund hopped over the children and went up to his lover.

“Bugger never beat me in a fight.” The giant rabbit gloated.

“Knock on wood.” Jack hugged him.

“Mother, where are the special flowers grown?” Bunny asked. “I wanna show them to Jack.”

“Down by the lake.” Dahlia pointed to where it was. “Be careful around them; they’re just starting to hatch.”

“Special flowers?” Jack looked up curiously.

“You’ll see, mate.” Bunny took the teen’s hand and they went to the lake.

:::

“Wow!” Jack was breathless at the full view of the warren. The hills were covered with flowers he’s never seen before. The huge lake was crystal clear and the river that flowed to it went for miles. There were stone carvings of eggs scattered around the grassy hills. “This place is beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” Bunnymund came up behind him. “It was a blessing they found this place. There are the flowers.” He pointed to a small group of red flask-shaped flowers by the lake. They went up to them, and Jack realized the flowers were glowing and pulsating.

“What’s happening?” Jack squatted in front of them. Bunny did the same.

“They’re hatching, love.” The Pooka looked as excited as a child. “Hadn’t seen this happen in years.”

“Hatching? How can flowers…?” The boy was shut up by the red petals blooming to reveal… an egg. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, the egg then grew a pair of tiny legs and started jumping up and down. “What… in the name of the Moon… is this?”

“This is an ancient flower that our ancestors cultivated. The flowers are sacred, Jack.” Bunnymund took the egg in his hands.

“Do they become chickens?”

“No. They don’t even have yolks. It’s a shell with legs.” Bunny shrugged. “We worship spring because it brings new beginnings and new life. When these flowers were created, it was like a sign of how important spring is.” He gave the egg to his mate. “Then we decided to paint them for fun every spring after they hatched. Those flowers over there provide us with paint.” He pointed to some coiling purple flowers yards away. Jack was astonished.

“This is it!” Jack exclaimed. “This is what you need!”

“What are you talking about, Jack?”

“We could take some seeds back with us, and you can grow them at the palace! You could make a garden full of these amazing flowers!” Jack gasped, getting a better idea. “We can do that painting-the-eggs thing with the kids in the city! It would give them something to look forward to in the spring!”

“Hold up, Jack!” Bunnymund was confused. “What are you on about? What makes you think I wanna do all of that?”

“Bunny, you’ve been a little distant lately…” The prince calmed down.

“My love, I’m not…” Bunnymund was silenced by a cold finger on his lips.

“I don’t mean with me, I mean when you’re _not_ with me.” Jack explained. “Bunny, just being my official bodyguard is not enough for you. When I was busy bringing winter fun to the city, you were just standing on the sidelines bored out of your mind.” The boy held up the egg. “And this is exactly what you need; something to look forward to every year, like Father and me.”

Bunnymund was surprised that the prince can sense such things. He wouldn’t deny that being Jack’s knight wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, but it granted him the opportunity to be with his true love most of the time, and those times were priceless to him. Even he didn’t notice he was acting distant and possibly nostalgic until Jack just told him. “Jack… you’re a smart little bugger.”

“Of course!” Jack agreed smugly. “So, you’ll do it?”

“I don’t know about sharing a Pookan custom with humans, but… I would like to take some of these home with me.” He agreed. The boy smiled and hugged his lover, nuzzling into the furry neck.

“I love you.” Jack said.

“I love ya too, Jack.” Bunny hugged back, bringing them to a standing position. They pulled away a little to kiss passionately, the two losing their breath instantly. 

“Hey, the flowers are hatching!” They heard Violet shout from atop the hill. All the Pookas came down the hill to watch eggs pop out of each flower. The children giggled and cheered as the eggs ran to them, loving the attention. The prince felt his egg jump up and down in his hand and decided to put it in the grass, the egg running to Violet. They smiled, enjoying the sweet and magical moment, one of many to come.

:::

Epilogue

Bunnymund started growing his enchanted garden as soon as they went back to the palace with the signed bill. The flowers were ready by the next year, and they grew perfectly blooming healthy eggs. The Pooka taught Jack how to paint them, which is harder than it seems. Year after year, as he produced more seeds, Bunnymund was now able to create a whole army of eggs, and he agreed to share them with the children. They enjoyed this new tradition so much that they named a holiday for it after him; they named it Easter.

Easter was not Bunnymund’s only job. He was still Prince Jackson’s knight and protected him from any evil. They gladly celebrated their seasons with each other. Even though the years went by their love never got old. They still pretended to bicker, still teased each other, and still had amazing nights together. The kiss that broke the ice curse was one of true love, after all, and that means their love is strong and eternal.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> furryfox74: Are you addicted to anything at all? I'm a sugar addict.
> 
> Answer: I love sugar too. This time of year is maddening for my cravings. I’m also addicted to yaoi.
> 
> YokuMiya: Nice loved the chapter and yay Bunnys a knight an North didn't kill him lol. If you could live in any anime/movie/tv show you wanted (or combine some and live in the result) which would you choose?
> 
> Answer: I would love to live in the One Piece world because no one ever dies (except Ace). These people get beaten up so badly and live through it miraculously. And to be a pirate without a care in the world would be fun!
> 
> Good Witch of Babble: So you’re having trouble with ideas for Jackrabbit fics? Have you read the rotg kink meme on dreamwidth? There are a lot of great idea's there, it's inspirational!
> 
> Answer: I have been there but never found any prompts that I like. I also don’t like to take other’s ideas (even though they give you permission).
> 
> MiloAndOtis: Do we get to know what happens to Aster's family? Will Queen Tooth be obsessed with Aster's teeth? You could try Bride Stories (manga), it a bit cultural and the stories are slow but the details of pictures are seriously oh so pretty. Favorite word to say? Mine is FABULOUS (it hard not to use it in every other sentence). Favorite genre of movies? Have you seen Brave Story (movie)? It's not the best budget movie but I found it really fun to watch. Do you watch anime or just read manga? (Also I've been reading the same book for the past half year (or longer) so I don't believe I'm a dedicated reader either... I shall get it done... soon... in the far far future). Also (I just don't stop talking) I started to read your other rotg fictions and I'm really liking them. It is not often that I find myself liking a character who isn't canon but I do enjoy your stories with July. If you are gonna make more stories, make more Q&A because I'm loving this. If you practice and continue to wrote fanfictions and other works I think you could make it as a professional writer ;) Summary: You did FABULOUS!
> 
> Answer: (Answered the first two questions in the story) Bride Stories’ pics are pretty! Fave word changes frequently: let’s see, this week it’s stank-ass. I like comedy and animation (I’ll never grow up). Haven’t seen Brave Story but looking it up it looks cute. I watch anime all over the place. I’d rather watch than read cuz I’m more of a visual person. Oh stop it, you’re FABULOUS! ;)


	15. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus from JackRabbit Week.

“Bunny!” Prince Jackson greeted his lover, giving him a big hug and kiss before they sat down for lunch together. They tried to meet for lunch everyday in the study after Jack’s lessons and Bunnymund’s training sessions. “How was training? Did you kick everyone’s asses?”

“And then some, mate.” Bunny grinned. “The soldiers seem different lately. They’re workin’ extra hard for no particular reason.”

“No reason… oh!” The prince remembered something. “They’re probably getting ripped for the Olympics that are coming up in a few months.”

“The Ol-what?” The rabbit asked.

“You never heard of it?” Jack looked at him in surprise. “The Olympics is a big competition for athletes and soldiers. The idea came from the Greeks, but we have our own set of games in Santoff Claussen. We do it every two years, and people from all around the kingdom come to watch or participate.”

“Sounds like a ripper good time.” Bunny was being semi-sarcastic. “Guess we’re gonna have a lot of rowdy crowds and thugs to take care of.”

“Yeah, I should have told you about this sooner, but I forgot…” Jack rubbed the back of his head. “You have to participate in the games.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a requirement for all new soldiers to compete.”

“What’s with that stupid rule?”

“It’s to prevent pointless fighting between soldiers.” Jack explained. “The soldiers, in case you haven’t noticed, are very competitive. They used to have ‘alpha-male’ fights on the training grounds all the time, and my father would always have to deal with unnecessary injuries and bad morale, even when there was no war going on. So having them compete in these games is a healthier way to deal with their shit.” The boy smirked. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to show them whose boss?”

“Well…” Bunny shifted. He did like competition, after all. “What kind of games are they? If it’s silly human sports, then I’m screwed.”

“There’s plenty of stuff you can do: running, sword-fighting, wrestling, martial arts, archery… did I mention running?” Jack listed them all on his fingers. “You pick three events to participate in, and if you win first place, you get a gold medal!”

“And what does the royal family do during this? Just sit back and watch?”

“Pretty much.” Jack shrugged. “It sucks cuz I do want to compete, but I’d get a biased win or something from the judges because I’m royalty. But, I will be doing the opening ceremony.”

“Really? What’re you gonna do?” Bunny’s ears perked up.

“It’s a secret!” Jack put his finger to his lips.

“Well then…” Bunny grinned, standing slowly. “I guess I’ll have to torture ya until you tell me, mate.”

“No matter what you do, I won’t talk.” Jack stood up too.

“Oh yeah, we’ll- AH!” The Pooka slipped and fell on the now icy floor that Jack made with his feet. The kid just burst out laughing. “I’ll get ya for this, ya little whacker!” Bunnymund ended up chasing Jack all day and giving him wild and torturous sex at night. The prince still wouldn’t tell him.

:::

“Well, here we go.” Bunnymund stood by King North and Queen Toothiana, waiting for the opening ceremonies to begin in the coliseum. Jack was somewhere getting ready. “He never told me what he was going to do.” Music started and the frost prince flew into the center of the arena, creating a beautiful flurry that followed him. He was wearing tight brown leggings and a tight blue shirt that sparkled with frost. He turned the ground into a thick, even coat of ice, making an ice rink. The boy took a deep breath, feeling the music go through his body and started to move across the ice gracefully on his bare feet. “Bonza…” Bunny watched Jack do flips, twists and spins on the ice, all perfectly synchronized with the dramatic orchestral music. The teen’s face was dramatic as well, his passion coming out with his dance. “I’ve never seen anyone ice dance like that before.”

“He wanted to do this as a symbol of his freedom of the curse.” The queen smiled, watching her beloved son.

“He wanted to do this for years.” King North nodded proudly.

“He’s beautiful.” Bunny watched as Jack did one final twirl, the music ending slowly. He struck a pose and the audience cheered, happy that their prince was free of the curse. He bowed and waved before flying up to the balcony, landing in front of the Pooka with a smirk on his face. “That was a secret worth keeping.” Jack just winked at him before taking his seat by his Father.

“Now go down there and show those stuck-up soldiers how it’s done.” Jack ordered his bodyguard.

“Yes, your highness.” Bunnymund jumped from the balcony and got ready for his first challenge.

:::

The first game was running; a 10-km sprint. Bunny was a shoe-in to win; no one was faster than a rabbit, especially a giant one. Still, he needed to remind himself not to get too cocky. As he got into position, he looked over his competition, and they were already sporting defeated looks. Some of them even went so far as to shoot him angry looks. _It wasn’t my choice to be in this tourney, mates…_ Bunny thought. _But you can’t stop me from being competitive._ The gun went off, and Bunny easily took the lead. He didn’t look back, concentrating on the finish line and making sure not to trip. He won by a landslide, but he was still slightly disappointed when he saw his kilometers per hour; he knew he could run faster than that. He was a little out of shape due to his new lofty lifestyle. The other runners finished, going by the Pooka with mean eyes. Bunny didn’t bother to congratulate anyone. Instead, he looked up at his mate, who was clapping and hollering for him. The audience clapped, too, but did so as if they expected the win.

After the running comes archery. Bunny wasn’t allowed to use his boomerangs, but he was pretty skilled with a bow and arrow. Jack was interested; he never saw the rabbit use that weapon before. Bunny picked up a set and stood before his target, all contestants firing at the same time. He hit the target but not the center. The woman next to him got a bull’s eye, and the crowd started getting interested in her. They fired again, and this time the Pooka made a better shot, but the girl got the center again, splitting the first arrow in two. Bunny was impressed; he’d never seen a female sharpshooter before. They fired one last arrow, and low and behold the girl hit the center again. She was happily declared the victor and the crowd cheered loudly for her. Bunny ended up getting third place for archery. He wasn’t upset that he lost; he was upset that the people of the city still didn’t like him much, as proved by the applause.

“Hey, um… congratulations, sheila.” Bunnymund said to her as they stood on the pedestals, waiting for their medals.

“Thanks, you too.” She replied in a strange accent. “Ain’t never seen a giant talkin’ rabbit before. There others like you in this town?”

“Naw, just me.” Bunny caught a look at the prince, who was making a fake disappointed face at him. He just shook his head and shrugged.

“Oh, I see… you’re that ‘beast in the palace’ everyone’s talkin’ about.” The girl saw the Pooka flinch.

“Is that what you’ve been hearing in town?”

“Unfortunately, yeah.” She frowned. “But it’s obviously just rumors. You’re a nice guy.”

“Yeah? Thanks, sheila.” His ears drooped in embarrassment. He looked at Jack again, the boy smiling down at him and waving.

“I heard that you’re the prince’s royal guard.” She saw him looking at the prince longingly.

“I’m not just that.” Bunny smiled. “I’m his mate, and he’s mine.”

“Mate, huh?” The girl was surprised, but still smiled back. “I can tell; how you look at him, and all. As long as you have him, who cares what others have to say about you?” He looked at her in surprise when she said that. It seemed she heard even more horrible things than she led on, but he decided not to ask.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” The rabbit agreed. They were interrupted as they were presented with their medals.

:::

The third and last event for Bunny would be freestyle fighting. This was the game that separated the men from the boys, as it were. All the strongest would compete in this one. This was sort of like the second part of the tournament he first won to become Prince Jackson’s bodyguard. If Bunny did it once, he could do it again.

The pairs were picked at random, and as luck would have it, Bunny was paired with the biggest, tallest and most muscular guy in the city first. As he looked around at the other competitors and the coordinators, he started to believe that they were out to get him. They all shot mean glares and whispered to each other, hoping that this big guy would put him out of commission permanently. If this was a setup, it was a dumb idea to put him against the strongest opponent first while he still had all his strength and energy. Besides, big and muscular meant slow and stupid, and the rabbit could deal with that easily.

And dealt he did. As soon as the call was made, the big guy ran slowly to Bunny, trying to grab him. Bunny slipped around the muscled arms and to his back, kicking the back of his knees with his giant feet, and then head-locking him to smash his head to the floor. Obviously, that wouldn’t be enough to take a hard-headed guy like this out. The man stood up and came for the rabbit again. Bunnymund redirected his big arm and pressed all the pressure points from his palm to his shoulder, numbing his arm. Bunny continued to punch out all the pressure points on the man’s body until he fell to the ground. Bunny was quickly declared the winner of that round. Jack watched him from his seat, falling in love with Bunny all over again.

The next rounds were easily won as well, leaving Bunny the supreme victor and given the gold medal. None of his fellow soldiers were happy about that. The audience applauded but not ecstatically. He looked at Jack once more, the only one cheering for him. What was Bunny going to do without that boy?

:::

“Hmph, two golds and a bronze? I expected better.” Jack falsely scolded Bunnymund the next morning.

“If I could use my boomerangs, it’d be a different story.” Bunny assured him.

“I’m proud of you, silly. I was just kidding.” Jack pulled his lover against him on the hallway wall. “You’re so sexy when you’re in warrior mode.”

“How ‘bout I show you my warrior side up close and personal tonight?” Bunny growled, kissing that long, pretty neck.

“Oh, hell yes.” The teen smiled. “Too bad it can’t be now.”

“Your father will come looking if ya don’t go do your studies, love.” The Pooka pulled away. “And I’ve gotta get to work, myself. Can’t just slack off cuz I won some medals.”

“Yeah…” Jack got a bad feeling. He wasn’t so unobservant; he saw that the people and competitors weren’t acknowledging his mate’s wins. They still had prejudice for Pookas, and the soldiers were jealous of the giant rabbit instead of admiring. That archer girl was nice to him, he noticed, and maybe was a good start, but the politeness should have started a year ago when they defeated Pitch together and broke the curse. “Hey…”

“What?” Bunny asked.

“Be careful, alright? Don’t start any trouble.” Jack took Bunny’s hand.

“Sure thing, mate.” Bunny understood, heading for the training grounds. The ice prince still had a bad feeling.

:::

Bunny went out to the training grounds, and sure enough, half a dozen fellow soldiers were there, patiently waiting for the Pooka to arrive. He saw that the anger in their eyes had not dimmed from yesterday. “Hey mates, ready for practice?” Bunny needed to watch his words and not make any smart comments.

“We’re gonna try something different today…” One soldier said. “Six on one.”

“That sounds a little unfair, don’t you think?” Bunny saw them come closer.

“You don’t seem to get how much we hate you.” Another soldier said. “You’re a show-off; a nobody from outside the city who gets all the way to the top just because he’s a ninja rabbit?”

“Do you know how hard we worked to live at the palace?” Another said, pounding his fists together. “Then you show up and get everything we deserve to get! And why, cuz your little family is endangered?”

“Yeah, go back and protect them, since you’re so strong!”

“The prince doesn’t need you! The king doesn’t even trust you!”

Bunnymund needed to keep calm; if he fought or talked back, there could be consequences, but he didn’t want to run into the woods like a scared rabbit. He tried for the door, but a soldier was blocking it, and hit the rabbit over the head with a club. That brought him to his knees, and another soldier came up and started punching him in the face, giving him a black eye and a split lip. A punch to the chin made him bite his own tongue, and he spit out blood. “Not so tough now, huh? We’ll show you how strong we are!” 

Bunny glared at them, but didn’t raise his fists to attack. Still, he didn’t want to keep getting hit. He pushed past the soldiers and climbed up the nearest tall tree like a frightened kitty. The men tried to follow after, but they were slower than the Pooka at climbing trees. This was humiliating, but what else was he going to do?

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” The door was kicked in by King North with Jack behind him, staff at the ready. The soldiers were dumbfounded by the king’s appearance. “Have you forgotten discipline? STAND IN LINE, NOW!” They obeyed, getting in a line and shaking nervously. Bunny got out of the tree, still rubbing his head in pain.

“Bunny!” Jack flew over the guards to his mate’s side, seeing the wounds and blood dripping from his mouth. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing, mate. I’m fine.” The rabbit brushed it off, wiping his mouth. Jack pulled him in for a hug.

“What has gotten into you idiots?” North started lecturing them.

“Worried about me, eh?” Bunny whispered to the boy as the king went off.

“I convinced my father to check up on you with me.” Jack hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“What are ya sorry for? Ya saved my arse once again, love.” The Pooka hugged back. “Thanks.”

“YOU’RE ALL FIRED!” North finished his speech. Bunny showed concern for that decision, but said nothing. “Get out of my home! And forfeit all your prizes won from yesterday!” The former soldiers left to pack their shit.

“Your highness, are ya sure that’s a good idea?” Bunny asked. “Don’t you think they’ll retaliate?”

“They can’t do anything.” The king scoffed, looking at the rabbit’s beat face. “I see you did not fight. Why?”

“There was… no need to fight.” Bunny explained. “If I fought them, it would’ve proven their point. Still, I didn’t wanna be a martyr, either… so I scurried up a tree.” He lowered his ears, not looking into either royal’s eyes.

“I see.” King North smiled, patting the rabbit’s shoulders – hard – like he always did. “This makes you an even better warrior than before. You have my respect.”

“Your highness…” Bunny was glad the king wasn’t angry or disappointed.

“I will make sure those bastards leave; you take care of your wounds.” North entered the castle, leaving the lovers alone.

“Jeez, you two should get a room.” The prince joked.

“Go ahead, make fun of me for letting them beat me up.” Bunny went to sit down, grabbing some disinfectant from a cabinet.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Jack started to help, getting some cotton swabs and poured the disinfectant on them. “I’m proud of you. Even though those assholes deserve to be beaten, you decided it wouldn’t be wise. I understand.” He dabbed Bunny’s cut lip, making the rabbit hiss. “You’re the greatest warrior with the biggest heart.”

“Aw, mate…” The Pooka’s ears pressed against his head again.

“I just wish the people of this city could see that. I wish they could see you the way I see you.” Jack rubbed Bunnymund’s cheek with his thumb.

“Maybe there is.” Bunny replied, with Jack looking confused. “I’ve been thinking of that idea you had a while ago, with giving the walkin’ eggs to the kids…”

“Are you saying… you want to try it?” The boy’s face lit up.

“Yeah, love. It sounds… fun.” The rabbit smiled. “Still, I’m gonna have to grow a lot of eggs.”

“We need more flowers.” Jack smiled bigger, probably more excited about this egg-giving thing than Bunny was… at least for now.


	16. 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another bonus from JackRabbit Week.

“Okay, Bunny, I am here. What did you want to talk about?” King North asked a nervous-seeming Bunnymund. It had been two years since the curse was lifted, and two years since Prince Jackson and Bunnymund have been together. Their love seemed to be influential. The people of the kingdom, Santoff Claussen, were happier than ever. The prince was now twenty but still spreading fun with his winter powers. Everything was going great, but there was one more thing that needed to be done… “Oi Bunny, don’t waste my time. What is it?”

“Oh right, your highness…” Bunnymund cleared his throat. He was still nervous around North, but he needed to be confident for this. “Your highness, I love Jack. He has given me light and love, and all I wish is to do the same for him. I want to love him forever, protect him forever…” Bunny could tell the king was getting bored. “Your highness, I ask for your permission to allow me to… ask for your son’s hand in marriage.” There was a long pause. The king got wide-eyed, but Bunny didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. North walked up to the Pooka, who still tried to look the king square in the eyes. Just when Bunny was about to speak, the king picked him up in a bruising hug.

“Klasno!” North exclaimed, swinging Bunny around. “Finally! I was wondering when you’d ask!”

“I’m glad you approve your highness.” Bunny choked out.

“Ack, enough with the formalities; you can call me father, or North, or whatever!” The king put Bunny down. “When will you ask?”

“As soon as I can, your… I mean, mate.” The Pooka replied. “I already have a plan.”

“Good, because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep the secret!” North said while dancing to the door. “I can’t wait!” He exited the room, leaving Bunny to sigh in relief. He thought that would be the hardest part, asking for the father’s permission, but the king was really excited about it. Hopefully, his lover would reply the same way.

:::

“Are you cold?” Jack asked Bunnymund as they walked along the snowy path outside the castle walls.

“Nah, mate.” Bunny shook his head. “Got my scarf on. Besides, this fur ain’t just for show.” He remembered the boy – now a man - giving him the green-blue scarf as a birthday gift.

“Just checking.” Jack smiled, flying around in the air carelessly, a scene that was familiar in Bunny’s mind. The Pooka looked up at his mate, thinking of how much he’s grown these past two years. He’s gotten a little taller and a little more muscular due to Bunny’s hard training regimen. His hair was long enough to put in a short ponytail. And by the Moon, his face was as beautiful as ever, and those eyes… “Hey, why are we out here, anyway?” And there was the burning question.

“Uh, well… I wanted to see if that winter jasmine’s still there, love.” Bunny thought of a cover-up.

“Oh yeah, those yellow flowers.” Jack recalled. “I can’t help but feel like those flowers grew in that place for a reason. Like, a sign that you were coming to rescue me.”

“You think that?” The rabbit asked. “That’s why I painted the landscape.”

“I love that painting.” Jack said. “I love all the ones you made. When are you making another one?”

“I don’t think there’s any room left on the walls.” Bunny joked. They finally arrived at the pond where Jack was cursed by Pitch all those years ago. Jack landed on the frozen pond, freezing it more, making it safe to stand on. “There it is!” The Pooka exclaimed, seeing the large bush of winter jasmines curling around a tree with snow on their yellow petals. “Oh, she’s gorgeous.”

“It got so big.” Jack pointed out while Bunny marveled over it. Jack rolled his eyes, getting used to the rabbit’s affinity for flowers. “But don’t make me jealous of a plant.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Bunny turned to see his love standing in the middle of the pond. He decided to join him, but carefully so as not to fall… “Ow!” He did anyway. Jack held in a laugh.

“You alright?” He skated over to help the rabbit up. He just realized that he never taught Bunny how to skate before. “Here, get your balance… okay, now just push forward with your feet…” He held onto Bunny’s paws, leading him forward as he skated backward. Bunny kept slipping, holding his hands in a death grip.

“Ya make it look so easy.” Bunny said, though slowly getting the hang of it. 

“You’re doing well.” Jack said, letting go of the rabbit’s paws and skating by his side. “See? You got it.”

“Barely.” Bunny kept his eyes on his own feet, slipping every so often.

“Great, now let’s learn a double axel.” The prince skated ahead, doing one in the air and landing perfectly.

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Bunny said sarcastically. Jack just laughed at him.

“You know, I gotta say, it’s a little weird being here, even after two years.” The young man sighed, stopping in the center of the pond. “I just would associate this place with _him.”_ Bunny didn’t have to guess who. “I never told you this, but… the first time I came back here after he cursed me, I had a panic attack and fainted. I had to muster up a lot of courage to bring you here that day two years ago. But then, those things you said to me, and the winter jasmine, and the snowball fight… it was all so amazing, and it made me forget about my troubles… ugh, I sound cheesy; I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“No mate, I get it.” Bunnymund slowly skated over to him. “That’s why I brought you here today, to make you forget about Pitch, to get rid of the bad memories and replace them with good ones. I don’t want you to associate this place with him; I want you to associate it with me, with us, and with this.” He pulled a small box out of his bandolier and – carefully – got on one knee. Jack’s eyes widened, knowing what was happening. “Ahem… Prince Jackson, will you marry me?” He opened the box, revealing a beautiful diamond, emerald and sapphire-studded ring. Jack ignored the ring at first and got on his knees so he could pull the rabbit in for a hug.

“Yes, Bunny! Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Jack squealed, doing his best to keep tears from falling down his face. Bunny wobbled a bit, balancing the box as well as himself over the ice.

“Oh Jack, I’m so glad.” The Pooka hugged him back, nuzzling his shoulder. “I love you with all my heart.”

“I love you too, Bunny.” Jack pulled away, letting Bunny take the ring out of the box and slip it around his finger. “It’s beautiful.”

“No, _you_ are.” Bunnymund smirked.

“No, you are.” Jack replied before leaning in to kiss his new fiancé. It felt as powerful as their first kiss; a kiss that broke a curse, saved the kingdom, and proved their true love.

:::

EPILOGUE

:::

The wedding came a few months later. It was a small, private event; friends and family only, including Bunnymund’s family. Bunny was allowed to wear traditional Pookan attire: a pastel-colored robe and an intricately carved, wooden crown. Jack looked gorgeous in a white tunic with a blue seam and white pants (still no shoes). He carried a bouquet of yellow jasmines. They never looked away from the other’s eyes as they said their ‘I dos’. They decided to go anywhere and everywhere on their honeymoon, wanting to travel together and get out of that old castle. Bunny’s mom assisted them, giving them a stone on a chain that could create tunnels to places the user imagines. They would use it to go to places they always wanted, bringing fun, hope, and love with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End, I hope you enjoy it!


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